Cholesterol - By Category

Cholesterol Basics

Cholesterol is a fatty molecule that is manufactured by your liver. You need cholesterol in order to help you manufacture certain types of hormones. However, too much cholesterol circulating through the blood can lead to heart disease.

Getting Tested

A cholesterol test can be an important step in fighting heart disease. Despite its importance in heart health, a cholesterol test is very easy to do and, in some cases, can be done in the comfort of your own home. It may even save your life.

Risks & Causes

There are many risk factors that are associated with high cholesterol, or hypercholesterolemia. These include obesity, smoking, fatty diet, and living a sedentary life style.

Diet & Meal Plans

For many people, following a healthy diet regimen can control high cholesterol -- and lower your risk for heart disease.

Exercise and Your Cholesterol

Exercise is one of your best weapons against high cholesterol and heart disease. Regularly exercising -- whether in the gym or in the comfort of your own home -- can help keep your cholesterol levels in check, as well as lower your risk for other conditions that could contribute to the development of heart disease.

Medications & Treatments

Have you been diagnosed with high cholesterol and looking medications to lower it? This is the place to be! First, your health care provider may want to you change your lifestyle by controlling your cholesterol through diet and exercise. If this doesn't work, medication may be added. There are several treatment options out there to help lower your cholesterol.

Natural Treatments

Are you trying to prevent high cholesterol? Are your cholesterol levels mildly high, and you would like to try something to lower it to avoid taking conventional prescription medication? If you answered yes to any of these questions, a natural alternative may help you. Before taking any of these products, be sure to consult your doctor or pharmacist, since they may interact with any other disease conditions you may have or medications you may be taking.

Types of Cholesterol

Lipoproteins and cholesterol--what is the connection?

Understanding Test Results

Once you have had your blood drawn for your cholesterol test, it will be sent to a laboratory for analysis. Your blood test results will have five numbers listed that will tell you how much cholesterol is in your bloodstream: HDL level, LDL level, VLDL level, triglyceride level, and total cholesterol level.

Related Conditions

There are several classifications of cholesterol diseases. These mainly depend upon whether your blood fat levels are high or low and which type of blood fat level in not normal (for instance: triglycerides, high density lipoprotein, etc). Knowing which disease category you fit into will help you to understand what is abnormal and which treatment options are available to you.

Cholesterol Definitions

See a word that you don't recognize? This glossary of terms related to cholesterol will help you to understand everything related to cholesterol - including some of the new and obscure things that even researchers are sometimes grasping to understand.