With September being National Cholesterol Education Month, now is a great time to check in with your health care provider about your current status. This is because while some types of cholesterol are healthy, others lead to issues like heart disease. To help you stay safe, here’s all you need to know about this compound.

How the Body Makes Cholesterol

Not all cholesterol is harmful. The substance, which is similar in texture to fat, supports essential bodily functions like the production of hormones and nutrients.

While it can be derived from foods, cholesterol is also produced by the liver. As the food is digested, it's broken down into smaller molecules and combined with cholesterol. These molecules make their way to the liver and finally the bloodstream, where they become known as lipoproteins. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are known as harmful cholesterol, while high-density lipoproteins (HDL) are healthy cholesterol. 

Why Some People Have High Cholesterol

There are several lifestyle factors that contribute to high cholesterol. While your body naturally produces LDL, certain habits can increase its levels in the system. This includes smoking, being overweight, consuming a poor diet with a lot of high-fat foods, and leading a sedentary lifestyle with little physical activity. High cholesterol can also be inherited, making negative lifestyle choices more damaging. 

What You Can Do to Prevent This

The first step is to visit a health care center to get tested for your cholesterol levels. From here, your medical provider will help you devise a treatment plan to help bring down your risk. There is an ideal ratio for healthy cholesterol, which involves dividing your total amount of lipoproteins by your HDL number. If your ratio exceeds that, your provider may advise you to change your diet or start exercising. You may need to cut down on pork, chicken with skin, lard, and full-fat dairy. If you smoke, they’ll also recommend quitting. 

In Anchorage, AK, Hillside Family Medicine will help you determine your cholesterol levels to keep you healthy. This health care clinic offers in-office lipid panel testing ran at their on-site lab to check your LDL and HDL levels. Call (907) 344-0200 to schedule an appointment or visit them online to learn more about their health care services.