A Closer Look at Weight and Blood Cholesterol
Increased weight negatively affects cholesterol levels in the body, as well as some of the components of cholesterol.Your total cholesterol level is made up of three different types of cholesterol: LDL (“bad” cholesterol), VLDL (a mixture of triglycerides and cholesterol), and HDL (“good” cholesterol). Each type of cholesterol has a different function. For heart health, the goal is to decrease LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol, since LDL contributes to heart disease risk and HDL helps protect the heart. Increased weight creates problems by increasing LDL levels and decreasing HDL levels. It also drives up triglycerides, another type of fat in the blood.Weight loss improves the blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
| Target Cholesterol Levels | ||
| What Is Stands For | Levels to Aim For (mg/dL) | |
| TG | Triglyceride | Lower than 150 |
| LDL | Low-density lipoprotein | Lower than 100 is optimal; greater than 160 is high |
| HDL | High-density lipoprotein | Greater than 40 |
Tags: A Closer Look at Weight and Blood Cholesterol, obese problems diseases, overweight problems diseases, weight and blood cholesterol problems
Posted in Heart, Blood, and Circulation, Overweight Problems
