Today we are discussing:
1. What are LDL and HDL? 2. How do LDL and HDL differ structurally and functionally? 3. Why do doctors monitor the concentrations of LDL and HDL in patient's blood? You may have gone to the doctors and heard all of these terms involving cholesterol. What do they all mean? LDL is low density lipoproteins, and is typically considered the "bad cholesterol". Meanwhile the HDL is high density lipoprotein, and it is considered the "good cholesterol". The structures of these two types of cholesterol do differ, making them very distinct with different jobs. When it comes down to the structure, 50% of the LDL is cholesterol while about 20% of it is protein. HDL is 50% protein and 20% cholesterol. LDL tends to take cholesterol to the cells, and can block up the arteries, while HDL takes the cholesterol away from the heart and organs and processes it. Now why do we even have this "bad cholesterol"? Our cells do need the fat and cholesterol. This is a good way to deliver it to our cells, to make sure their function is all normal. Doctors monitor the concentrations of LDL and HDL in the patients blood because if the levels of LDL get too high then it can cause plaque build up in the blood-vessels then may lead to blood clots or even heart disease. As a result of that, the level of LDL should be kept low. You should keep your HDL high because it removes the bad cholesterol from the blood. So again, LDL is bad (so keep is low) and HDL is good (so keep is high). 1. How are the concentrations of LDL and HDL associated with the risk for heart diseases and associated disorders?
2. What other molecules in a patient's blood are monitored along with LDL and HDL? Besides having the ability to clog up our arteries with this stuff, cholesterol can still do a bit more damage. Cholesterol adds to atherosclerosis, or the hardening of our blood vessels. Our blood vessels are very elastic and flexible to deal with the amount of blood that has to be pumped through the body. When the vessels harden, the heart would have to work harder to pump more blood through, which would lead to possible heart attacks and strokes, but mainly heart disease. The other molecules in a patients blood that are monitored are VLDL and triglyceride because triglyceride acts a lot like cholesterol while VLDL (very low density lioproteins) act a lot like high density lipoproteins. 2. What can patients do to change the levels of LDL and HDL in their blood? 3. How does intake of unsaturated, saturated, and trans fat affect cholesterol levels and overall health? Several things are put into account when determining your cholesterol level. That includes your age, weight, race, blood pressure, and whether or not you smoke. Your LDL should be lower than 190 mg/dLn and any higher might mean that you have high cholesterol. Meanwhile, your HDL should be higher than 40 mg/dL. Any lower than that and you make have high cholesterol as well because keep in mind, the HDL gets rid of the bad cholesterol. Its important to keep this all in check by basic exercise and diet. However if you want to change your blood pressure level.......... 1. There are many ways to so to change the levels of LDL and HDL in the patients blood. Some of the ways consist of eating a healthy diet with reduced fat and cholesterol. A result of that would increase your HDL levels and then decrease your LDL levels. Another way is to be active in physical activity because it will rise your HDL levels by 5%. 2.You need to make sure that you are taking in a good amount of unsaturated, saturated and trans fat and to not overdose yourself with an unbalanced diet daily. You need more add more unsaturated fats added to your diet because it will help increase your HDL instead of increasing your LDL, which isn't good. Citations: C2A0http://quizlet.com/20933656/511-what-are-ldl-and-hdl-flash-cards/ (http://www.everydayhealth.com/cholesterol/experts-how-does-diet-affect-cholesterol-levels.aspx |