Cholesterol is an issue that many people face in the world. The word cholesterol in itself has become such a negative term when infact, cholesterol is required by human bodies. They help in building essential fat supplies, store energy and provide warmth to the body. They are important for both brain and heart health and in moderate quantities, are great for skin, hair and nails. It becomes an issue only when there is too much bad cholesterol in the body which is present in junk food and processed foods. Cholesterol tests help in revealing how much cholesterol is present in the body and the various types and percentages of it in the blood. To understand a cholesterol test report, one must know the types and the grades of cholesterol present in the body and the normal range for their presence.
What are the types of Cholesterol ?
Every human being has some amount of cholesterol in their bodies. The types of cholesterol present in the body is what makes all the difference. There are basically 4 types of cholesterol:
This is a form of good cholesterol that is present in many of the food items such as nuts, avocados, fish, seeds such as flax seeds, sunflower seeds etc. This form of fat is extremely good for the body and helps keep the heart healthy, the brain healthy and gives good skin, hair and nails. This is a harmless type of fat that metabolises to HDL cholesterol
This is a type of fat which is not great for health and gets accumulated in the body in the form of stubborn fat under the skin. This kind of cholesterol is mostly present in junk food, sugar syrups, processed red meat, white bread, rice, sugar etc. This is the kind of fat that must be avoided as it metabolises into LDL which can coat the arteries and congest the blood vessels.
This is a dangerous type of fat that is present in highly processed packaged foods, fast food, sugary beverages, snacks etc. They are extremely bad for heart health and can cause obesity, high blood pressure and even heart attacks when in high amounts.
This is another form of fat that is similar to VLDL and is equally bad for health and must be kept at bay. Processed fats such as hydrogenated oils, butters, margarine, fatty fast food, greasy foods and sugary foods with Trans fat usually contain triglycerides.
Normal Range for Cholesterol
When a patient has high cholesterol, the doctor may ask to get a cholesterol test done. Cholesterol test price in India is around Rs 2000-3000 only. Based on the results, the doctor may suggest medicines and lifestyle changes that help improve the condition. Unmonitored rise in cholesterol is extremely bad for health especially the heart and can cause heart problems, strokes and hypertension. Below is the normal range for cholesterol:
