What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol belong to the body’s fats known as lipids. Lipids have a variety of functions in the body. For example they help with thermal insulation, help store energy, and help produce important hormones.

Often you hear of “bad” LDL and “good” HDL cholesterol. This is because high levels of LDL may contribute to atherosclerosis and ultimately cardiovascular disease, while HDL cholesterol has a protective function and helps to remove excessive levels of bad cholesterol.

Desirable level and goals for treatment:

Total cholesterol <5.0 mmol / l
LDL cholesterol <3.0 mmol / l

Indicators of increased risk for cardiovascular disease:

Triglycerides> 1.7 mmol / l

HDL cholesterol: <1.0 mmol /l for men and <1.3 mmol /l for women.

High Cholesterol Causes

Both heredity and environment play a role in the levels of cholesterol in the blood. Today we know of several hereditary forms of high cholesterol. If you have a cholesterol level above 8.0 mmol / l, it is often a familial hypercholesterolemia and thus hereditary.

Your diet plays a major role in cholesterol. Northern European countries have higher cholesterol levels than those living in southern Europe and Asia. One reason could be that people in Northern Europe eat less vegetables and fruits, and they choose to cook with saturated fats more than unsaturated fats like olive oil and canola oil.

Some of the risk factors for high cholesterol is a manifestation of atherosclerotic disease or type II diabetes.

High Cholesterol Symptoms

A crushing pain behind the breastbone and possibly radiating to the arms or the neck that is associated with physical exertion and cold temperatures. If the symptoms become more severe, there may be a blood clot in the coronary arteries causing a heart attack.

Another symptom may include pain the in calf muscles when walking known as claudication. There may also be dizziness or impaired vision which could a cerebral infarction, stroke or transient anemia in the brain.

What happens when there is too much cholesterol in your blood?

The blood vessels become more and more narrowed. The surface becomes more irregular, and the blood may have difficulty passing freely through the veins. A blood clot can form and become trapped in the a narrowed artery. When the blood supply to an area is stopped, the tissue can begin to die. That is, if the blood clot is in one of the coronary arteries then the part of the heart muscle that is no longer receiving blood can be killed, and a heart attack can occur.

High Cholesterol Treatment

Quit smoking, start exercising, changing your diet and ensure that blood pressure is under control.

Regular exercise helps reduce the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and a wide variety of other health problems.

Become aware of the things you need to know regarding nutrition. Eat more vegetables, fruits and berries. Add more fiber rich foods in your diet such as wholemeal bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. Soft or liquid fats such as olive or canola oil is recommended while cooking. Fish and lean meats are recommended. Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines have been proven to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Therefore, it is good to eat fatty fish at least twice a week. Eat less saturated fat, found in cheese, cream, candy, sugar, fatty meat, and processed meat products. Moderate amounts of alcohol (about 2 oz / day) appear to have a beneficial effect on triglyceride levels.

Cholesterol is a crystalline substance belonging to the steroids group. It is found naturally in our bodies because cholesterol is needed to carry out all our vital functions properly. Cholesterol is present in the brain, liver, nerves, blood and bile in both humans and animals.

The lives produces 80% of the total cholesterol in the body, and the other 20% comes from the diet. Cholesterol is involved in the metabolic, hormonal, digestive and nervous systems. It is transported from the liver to the cells via proteins called lipoproteins. The cells use what they need, and the rest remains in the bloodstream waiting for other lipoproteins.

The lipoproteins that transport from the liver to the tissues are the LDL (low density lipoprotein), known as bad cholesterol. The HDL (high density lipoprotein) are good cholesterol and are responsible for eliminating excess cholesterol from the blood and tissues by returning it back to your liver.

The balance of HDL and LDL in the blood stream will directly effect the health risks from cholesterol. When our HDL levels are higher than LDL levels, we have a lower risk of heart disease or clogged arteries, assuming our other eating habits are healthy. If our LDL levels are higher then cholesterol can stick the walls of the arteries forming plaque which clogs up the flow of blood. This is known as arteriosclerosis which leads to many health problems.

A cholesterol level of HDL and LDL in the blood of 200 mg / dl is considered normal and safe. If levels exceeds 200 mg /dl there is an increased risk of heart disease. The risk becomes even higher when the levels are above 240 mg / dl.

Within these total cholesterol values is fundamental relationship between HDL and LDL. If the HDL level in the blood stream is less than 35mg/dL, it is actually increasing cardiovascular risk despite having a total cholesterol level of 200mg/dl. As HDL levels decrease, the risk of cardiovascular problems increases. Normal values of HDL in the blood are between 50 to 60 mg / dl.

We should eat a controlled diet which limits saturated fats and avoids sugar and alcohol. These factors contribute to an increased level of cholesterol. We also may need to control stress as it has been shown to over stimulate the production of natural cholesterol.

Other causes of high cholesterol are cholesterol gallstones, impotence, high blood pressure (hypertension), and mental impairment. Other studies have found a close relationship between cholesterol and some cancers. We must not forget the hereditary factor, as many people who have high cholesterol while following a healthy diet low in fat still have high LDL levels.

The international recommendation given by the World Health Organization is not to exceed 300 mg of cholesterol in the diet. Controlling the intake of saturated fats is essential to prevent hypercholesterolemia.

Cholesterol is an essential topic. What is your immediate reaction, or what comes first to your mind? It is always associated with heart problems such as hypertension and myocardial infarction. It is an essential building block of every cell in your body. Cholesterol is needed in particular to build up and stabilize the cell membrane which is the surrounding shell that protects all your cells. Cholesterol has that role in all animals.

Moreover, cholesterol is a building block for all your steroid hormones, such as the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen. Maybe that explains why cholesterol-lowering medication, on average, has been shown to significantly worsen a person’s sex life.

Cholesterol is transported in the blood to get to the cells that need it. The transportation takes place in special “package” with names such as LDL (bad cholesterol) and HDL ( good cholesterol). Cholesterol is not really a hazardous substance, but it’s actually one of the substances that our body needs to keep us healthy. However, one should realize that there are two types of cholesterol: good cholesterol and bad cholesterol.

A high Cholesterol level in blood may statistically increase the risk of heart disease slightly. However, a high level of “good” cholesterol, HDL, lower the risk of heart disease.

HDL – good cholesterol

HDL is the packaging that can remove excess cholesterol from the body and transport it back to the liver. High levels of HDL lowers the risk of heart disease significantly. Good cholesterol can take away fat and cholesterol stored in the body.

LDL – bad cholesterol

First, a clarification. LDL is called bad cholesterol. However, some LDL is vital for the body. It will only be potentially dangerous if you get too much.

Fat and cholesterol from food is transported first to the liver, where it is compacted into large containers called VLDL. These are released into the blood and bind to the cells intermittently in the body that needs the addition of fat and cholesterol (for energy or as building materials).

It has been shown that the smaller and denser a LDL particle becomes, the easier it becomes oxidised (rancid) and trapped in the damaged vessel wall. Hence it can be involved in the process that causes cardiovascular disease (which also depends on many other factors).

Cholesterol is a fatty lipid, normal cholesterol levels are usually associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol in the body comes from two major sources. About three quarters of the total body cholesterol is produced in the body, while only one quarter comes from food. Normal cholesterol levels are also necessary for the formation of lipid rafts and detergent-resistant membrane domains.

As a general rule, good cholesterol is good for you and bad cholesterol is not good for you. If you are overweight, eating an unhealthy diet, or have a family history of high cholesterol, get your cholesterol levels checked regularly. Reduce high blood pressure and cardiovascular risk by losing weight.

People who are overweight have placed themselves in a higher risk category. When the weight is centered around the abdomen, as opposed to the legs or buttocks, the risk increased. Weight loss may also lower blood cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar.

Healthy men and women with normal cholesterol levels are still at risk for future heart attack if they have elevated levels of CRP. The best way to maintain healthy blood pressure is always through lifestyle, including diet and exercise.

You can not control your genes or your age, but there are things you can do to prevent or reduce high blood pressure, even if you have genes that may make you more likely to have it. Regular aerobic exercise such as walking, running or lap swimming is a prevention and reduction of high blood pressure.

Cooking with sesame oil instead of other cooking oils seems to reduce high blood pressure and reduce the amount of drugs needed to control hypertension, researchers reported today at the Fifteenth Scientific Meeting of the Inter-American Society of Hypertension.

Most of the fat in the blood is carried in small packages called lipoproteins. These packages can be divided into:

A common cholesterol test provides an answer to the above and the total amount.

VLDL and LDL – “bad cholesterol”

“Bad cholesterol” is usually called LDL. However, it is vital and only dangerous if you get too much of certain parts of it. It has been shown that the smaller and denser the LDL particles are, the easier it becomes oxidized and trapped in the damaged vessel wall.

VLDL

The fat you eat is transported first to the liver, where it is compacted into large containers called VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein). These are released into the blood and bind to the cells intermittently in the body. VLDL is produced in the liver. VLDL-C contains the highest amount of triglycerides compared to HDL and LDL cholesterol, which makes VLDL a risk factor that can lead to coronary heart disease.

HDL – “good cholesterol”

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is the packaging that can pick up excess cholesterol from the body and transport it back to the liver (the opposite of LDL). High levels of HDL lower the risk of heart disease significantly. We speculate that it is because it can take away fat and cholesterol stored in the container walls through small LDL. In healthy individuals, about thirty percent of blood cholesterol is carried by HDL.

HDL or High Density Lipoproteins are known as good cholesterol found in the bloodstream. HDL cholesterol is believed to help clear cholesterol from our body system, protects against heart disease. Good cholesterol decreases the risk of heart attacks, serves several vital biological functions. It helps clear excess cholesterol from the blood and helps control the formation of beta-amyloid, the leading component of the protein plaques found in the brains. A level under 40 mg/dL is low and is regarded a major risk factor because it increases your risk for developing heart disease.

Low HDL Cholesterol

Low HDL cholesterol (less than 40 mg/dL for men, less than 50 mg/dL for women) puts you at higher risk for heart disease. In the average man, HDL cholesterol levels range from 40 to 50 mg/dL. Weight reduction can result in elevation of the HDL cholesterol level. Some drugs such as fibrates and nicotinic acid can help elevate the HDL cholesterol level.

Hdl Cholesterol Ratio

Finding a good balance between HDL and LDL is very essential. The total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio is a number that is useful in predicting an individual’s risk of developing atherosclerosis. Total blood cholesterol is made up mainly of “bad” cholesterol and “good” cholesterol. An average ratio would be about 4.5. Ideally we want to be better than average if we can. Thus the best ratio would be 2 or 3, or less than 4. Total fat intake, particularly saturated fat and trans fat, plays a larger role in blood cholesterol levels than intake of cholesterol itself.

Hdl Cholesterol Foods

1. You can eat certain good HDL cholesterol foods to raise HDL cholesterol and avoiding certain foods that raise LDL. Eating fish include salmon, sardines, herring, albacore tuna and mackerel a couple times a week can have positive effects on your cholesterol numbers. Saturated fats and trans fats should be avoided. These fats have a negative impact on your heart health.

2. The best cooking oils? Knowing the healthy ones and the non-healthy ones can make a big difference in your cholesterol levels. Here are some good oils: canola oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, flax seed oil.

3. Unsalted, unsweetened walnuts or almonds can help you lower your cholesterol. A study found that eating 25 almonds a day for 1 month cut bad LDL cholesterol by 4 percent and raised good HDL cholesterol by 5%.