Cholesterol has one of the worst reputations in nutrition. The word often brings to mind blocked arteries, heart attacks, and foods that should be removed from the menu. That reputation is not completely undeserved, but it leaves out an important fact: your body needs cholesterol to survive. Cholesterol helps form cell membranes and supports the … Read more
Cholesterol advice can feel like a collection of contradictions. Eggs are bad-until someone says they are healthy. HDL is protective-until a headline says “good cholesterol” is not always good. Statins save lives, but social media posts may describe them as more dangerous than high cholesterol itself. No wonder people get confused. The truth is that … Read more
Insulin resistance is usually discussed as a blood sugar problem. However, insulin does much more than help glucose enter cells. It also helps regulate how the body stores, releases, transports, and uses fat. When muscle, liver, and fat cells stop responding normally to insulin, the effects can appear on a cholesterol test before type 2 … Read more
Blood sugar usually gets most of the attention when someone is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. However, glucose is only one part of the health picture. Cholesterol and triglyceride levels can also change, sometimes creating an especially risky combination for the heart and blood vessels. The connection between cholesterol and type 2 diabetes largely involves … Read more
Cholesterol testing probably is not the first thing that comes to mind when parents think about their child’s health. Vision tests, vaccinations, dental visits, and growth checks usually feel more immediate. High cholesterol seems like something that only affects adults after decades of unhealthy habits. However, children can have unhealthy cholesterol levels too. Some develop … Read more
High cholesterol is usually treated as an adult health problem. Many people associate it with middle age, years of unhealthy eating, or a lack of exercise. However, children and teenagers can also have unhealthy cholesterol levels-and some are born with them. The condition is easy to miss because high cholesterol rarely causes noticeable symptoms. A … Read more
Imagine eating well, exercising regularly, and still receiving an LDL cholesterol result that is surprisingly high. For some people, the main reason is not a lack of healthy habits. It is an inherited condition called familial hypercholesterolemia. So, what is familial hypercholesterolemia? Often shortened to FH, it is a genetic disorder that makes it harder … Read more
You eat plenty of vegetables, exercise regularly, and rarely order fried food-yet your cholesterol test still shows a high LDL result. It can feel unfair, especially when someone else follows a less healthy lifestyle and receives perfectly ordinary numbers. The explanation may partly lie in your DNA. Genetics can affect cholesterol levels by influencing how … Read more
Statins are among the most commonly prescribed cholesterol medicines, but being told to take one can still feel worrying. You may wonder whether your cholesterol is dangerously high, how the medication changes your body, or whether you will need to take it forever. So, what are statins and how do they work? Statins are prescription … Read more
Being told that your cholesterol is high does not automatically mean you need medication. For some people, improvements in diet, physical activity, sleep, smoking habits, and weight management may be enough to move their numbers in a healthier direction. For others, waiting for lifestyle changes alone could leave the arteries exposed to high LDL cholesterol … Read more