Why You Need to Take Your Cholesterol Levels to Heart
As you get older, it’s important to be aware of the good, the bad, and the ugly of cholesterol because it plays a major role in your overall health. Having high cholesterol greatly increases your risk of cardiovascular disease and other serious medical conditions. Fortunately, by getting regular screenings, adopting a healthy lifestyle, and following a low cholesterol diet, you can help reduce your risk of health problems. At MD Now, we want to help the Florida community protect themselves from this life-threatening problem, so we’re sharing some important insight and advice. We also offer affordable, convenient, fast cholesterol testing.
Get a Healthy Understanding of Cholesterol Levels
Many people don’t realize that there are two types of cholesterol. One is HDL cholesterol, which is known as the “good” cholesterol because it helps to recycle the body’s cholesterol and fat. The other type is LDL cholesterol, which is considered the “bad” cholesterol because it raises your risk of cardiovascular disease, since any excess LDL cholesterol is transported directly into your blood vessels. Fortunately, HDL cholesterol can help to reduce this dangerous LDL buildup by actually recycling any extra amounts of bad cholesterol.
Why It’s Vital to Know Your Cholesterol Levels
Medical experts say that it can be difficult to know if you have high cholesterol because your total cholesterol level can be misleading. The only way to tell if you have normal cholesterol levels is by having your levels of both good and bad cholesterol checked on a regular basis.
If you’re unsure about what are considered normal cholesterol levels, the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) can help. They recommend maintaining HDL levels over 40 mg/dL, with levels exceeding 60 mg/dL being even better. In addition, LDL levels should typically remain under 130 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood, yet the NHLBI states that an optimal LDL level is 100 mg/dL.
Get to the Heart of Other Cholesterol-Related Causes of Cardiovascular Disease
Many personal and lifestyle factors can increase your risk of heart disease, such as high blood pressure, smoking, and a family history of early heart disease. These factors put you at higher risk for lower LDL levels. And when your LDL levels decrease, other factors like obesity, diabetes, and a family history of high cholesterol raise your risk even more.
This is why The American Heart Association recommends that all adults 20 and older have a medical professional check their cholesterol levels and other heart disease risk factors at least every four to six years. If you’re one of the many concerned about how to lower cholesterol, there are simple lifestyle changes that can have a major impact. These include quitting smoking, getting regular exercise, reducing stress, and adopting a low cholesterol diet. To practice a low cholesterol diet, simply focus on eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and cereals, lean meats, and nonfat and low-fat dairy while reducing your intake of sugary and starchy foods.
MD Now Is Your Source for the Highest-Quality Care
Discover the caring, convenient, and cost-efficient treatment that can always be found at MD Now. All of our locations operate on a walk-in, no-appointment basis with hours to conveniently suit your schedule. With 31 locations throughout Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties, quality care is always within your reach. For the Florida locations nearest you, visit https://www.mymdnow.com/locations.
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MD Now® Urgent Care Walk-In Medical Centers is the leading provider of fast and affordable urgent care to adults and children in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties. Our state-of-the-art, walk-in medical centers are open seven days a week to deliver an affordable and convenient alternative to long emergency room wait times and the limited hours of family physicians. No appointment is necessary and major insurance plans are accepted. In addition to providing a comprehensive range of urgent care services to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries, our multiple locations offer digital x-rays, EKG, lab testing, physicals, immunizations, vaccines, occupational medicine, travel medicine and selected primary care services. Find the medical care you need with the convenience you want at MD Now. Online: www.MDNow.com.