Heart disease and stroke are just a couple of the leading causes of death in America and both of these diseases are greatly affected by one’s circulating cholesterol levels. Cholesterol levels which are too high often lead to plaque buildup in the arteries which is why lowering LDL cholesterol levels should be an important element to any fitness routine designed to improve health and overall fitness.
The reason I specifically say lowering LDL cholesterol is necessary is because lowering HDL cholesterol is just as bad as raising LDL cholesterol levels. The different types of cholesterol work in very different ways. HDL cholesterol works to help lower your overall cholesterol count and thus you want it to be as high as you can.
When your over all cholesterol levels get too high excess LDL cholesterol can begin to accumulate inside the arteries contributing to artery plaques and a decline in artery elasticity. Both of these conditions are damaging to your overall health and can both contribute to heart disease or to a potential stroke.
It is very important to keep your overall cholesterol levels low because when these plaques accumulate a couple things can happen. First, the cholesterol buildup can slowly grow to a point where blood flow through the arteries becomes challenging. This can lead to further blood pressure increases and to complete artery blockages.
Another potentially damaging affect of having cholesterol levels that are too high is when the cholesterol build up spontaneously breaks off the artery wall in a large chunk. This results in free floating cholesterol to flow down stream and lodge in a sensitive area of the body blocking off blood flow. When this happens in the brain this is a stroke and many strokes are either debilitating or even fatal.
Because the main conditions associated with high cholesterol level are so severe it is very important to keep your cholesterol level low. The best way to do this is through diet and getting more exercise. Just as these two lifestyle choices affect so many other health issues the same goes for cholesterol levels. And remember, lowering your risk for having heart disease and stroke will go a long way towards increasing your odds of living a long and healthy life. It’s worth it in the long run to take action today.
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