Cholesterol levels - WelnessTreatment Pro

What Are Cholesterol Levels?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is found in all cells of the body. Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods. There are two main types of cholesterol:

• LDL cholesterol - This is the "bad" cholesterol that can build up in your arteries. A high level of LDL cholesterol raises your risk for heart disease and stroke.
• HDL cholesterol - This is the "good" cholesterol that carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. Higher levels of HDL cholesterol help lower your risk for heart disease and stroke.

When you get your cholesterol tested, results typically include:

Cholesterol Type	Ideal Level
Total cholesterol	Less than 200 mg/dL
LDL cholesterol	Less than 100 mg/dL
HDL cholesterol	Greater than 60 mg/dL
Triglycerides	Less than 150 mg/dL

So what affects cholesterol levels? There are some factors you can't control, like family history, sex, and age. But there are also lifestyle factors that impact your cholesterol:

• Diet - Saturated and trans fats raise LDL cholesterol. Limiting these and eating more unsaturated fats can improve cholesterol.
• Weight - Excess weight tends to increase LDL and triglycerides. Losing weight can help lower levels.
• Exercise - Regular physical activity can help raise HDL and lower LDL. Aim for 30 minutes a day.
• Smoking - This lowers HDL and raises LDL. Quitting smoking can improve cholesterol.
• Alcohol - Drinking alcohol in moderation may raise HDL. But excess intake can damage the liver and raise triglycerides.

If lifestyle changes don't lower high cholesterol enough, medications like statins may be prescribed. But medications come with side effects, so lifestyle should be the first approach.

At WelnessTreatment Pro, we offer comprehensive hormone testing that includes a lipid panel to check cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Our hormone doctors can provide customized treatment plans to optimize cholesterol through lifestyle, supplements, and medication if needed. Balancing hormones and improving metabolic factors can have positive effects on cholesterol!

To sum up:

Key Points
Know your numbers - get a lipid panel to check total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol, plus triglycerides.
Lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, weight, smoking, and alcohol impact cholesterol levels.
Work on optimizing these factors through healthy lifestyle habits to maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Medications can treat high cholesterol if lifestyle alone doesn't do enough. But lifestyle should be the first approach.
Hormone imbalances and metabolic issues can also affect cholesterol, so testing hormones may provide additional insight.

WelnessTreatment Pro offers cholesterol testing and personalized treatment plans to help clients achieve healthy cholesterol levels through lifestyle, supplements, and medication if needed.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I'm happy to provide more detail on achieving healthy cholesterol levels.