High Density Lipoprotien (HDL)
What is HDL cholesterol?
HDL, or High-Density Lipoprotein is often referred to as the "good guy". This is for a very good reason. For starters about 1/4 to 1/3 of all the blood cholesterol is carried by the HDL. So HDL is a carrier of cholesterol, and cholesterol can be carried in two different directions.
One direction cholesterol can be carried is to the cells, organs, brain, heart and every nook and cranny in the body. That being said the other way is out of the body… This is performed by the HDL (High Density Lipoprotein).
The whole reason for HDL to even exist to take cholesterol away from all the areas of the body and transport them to the liver. Once the cholesterol arrives here it is filtered, processed and then removed from the body (as waste).
There are established levels of HDL which are considered to be "healthy" and if the levels of HDL are lower than this, it is considered a risk for Heart Disease. The healthy levels of HDL are different for both men and women.
For men the cutoff is 40 mg/dL of HDL, anything below this is considered risky and should be attended to. Women are a whole 10 points higher, if a women has an HDL level that is lower than 50mg/dL then they are considered to at a higher level of risk for Heart Disease.
It has been proven that individuals with higher than normal levels of HDL are at a LOWER risk for Heart Disease. So it makes sense to actively monitor the HDL levels in your body and ensure they are staying above 40 mg/dL for men and above 50 mg/dL for women.