What is Cholesterol

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a chemical compound that is naturally produced by the body and is a combination of lipid (fat) and steroid. Cholesterol is a building block for cell membranes and for hormones like estrogen and testosterone. About 80% of the body's cholesterol is produced by the liver, while the rest comes from our diet. . Dietary cholesterol comes mainly from meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. Organ meats, such as liver, are especially high in cholesterol content, while foods of plant origin contain no cholesterol. After a meal, dietary cholesterol is absorbed from the intestine and stored in the liver. The liver is able to regulate cholesterol levels in the blood stream and can secrete cholesterol if it is needed by the body.

What are LDL and HDL cholesterol?

LDL cholesterol is called "bad" cholesterol, because elevated levels of LDL cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. LDL lipoprotein deposits cholesterol on the artery walls, causing the formation of a hard, thick substance called cholesterol plaque. Over time, cholesterol plaque causes thickening of the artery walls and narrowing of the arteries, a process calledatherosclerosis.

Bad cholesterol is eaten when it is oxidized by cells called macrophages and the problem is that these, now full of fat, tend to stick to the arteries and may end up damaging them and blocking them all. Some experts say that fats and cholesterol are actually harmful only when oxidized.

Nutritional strategies to increase our good cholesterol and decrease bad and will not rust

·         Diet rich in antioxidants

·         Limit saturated fats and not abuse that are more easily oxidized, which are rich in Omega 6 (sunflower, corn, safflower, etc.).

·         Eating foods high in antioxidants, monounsaturated fatty acids (olive oil, avocados, almonds)

Foods that help lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol

·         Garlic: you can reach up to 23% good cholesterol according to a study at Bastyr College in Seattle (a daily dose of garlic oil extracted from 3 cloves of garlic)

·         Raw onion, can raise the good cholesterol to most people (half raw onion a day divided into several meals)

·         Oily fish, in addition to lowering bad cholesterol also helps improve good cholesterol levels.

·         Olive oil: lower bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol while you take in large numbers.

·         The grape seed oil: in most cases people see improvement in good cholesterol levels by taking 2 tablespoons a day of this oil.

·         Apples: Pectin is a type that contain soluble fiber that has also proven effective to regulate both types of cholesterol (three blocks per day)

·         The carrot, two carrots a day is also almost essential in these cases because on one hand are rich in pectin and the other are very rich in antioxidants (beta carotene)

·         Beer or wine, a beer or two small glasses of wine can help in many cases (if not we’ll try the other remedies alcohol)

·         Legumes: half cup twice a day can help (after several months) to regulate both types of cholesterol.

HDL cholesterol is called the "good cholesterol" because HDL cholesterol particles prevent atherosclerosis by extracting cholesterol from the artery walls and disposing of them through the liver. Thus, high levels of LDL cholesterol and low levels of HDL cholesterol (high LDL/HDL ratios) are risk factors for atherosclerosis, while low levels of LDL cholesterol and high level of HDL cholesterol (low LDL/HDL ratios) are desirable.

HDL cholesterol or the good cholesterol appears in the scour wall of blood vessel, cleaning out surfeits cholesterol. It then carries excess cholesterol that other wise may have been used to create plaques that causes coronary artery diseases, back in the liver for processing. So if you measure person HDL cholesterol levels, you see to be measuring how you can vigorously her or his blood vessel is being scrubbed.

HDL level below forty milligram results in the increased of the coronary artery disease even when people whose whole cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol level is normal. HDL level between forty and sixty milligram is considered normal. On the other hand, HDL level greater than sixty milligram may usually protect individuals from the heart disease. Certainly, for several years, physicians have known when this comes to the HDL level; the higher would be the better.

How Can You Increase HDL Level?

Aerobic Exercise- a lot of people do not like to hear, but the regular aerobic exercise like walking, bike riding, jogging which raises heart rates for about twenty or thirty minutes each time maybe the most effective method to increase HDL level. Up to date evidences suggest that duration of exercises than the intensity is more essential factor in the raising of HDL cholesterol, but there are no aerobic exercise help.

Lose weight- the obesity result not only increased LDL cholesterol, however it as well reduced HDL cholesterol. If you’re overweight, lessening your weight must increase HDL level. It is especially essential if you exercise weight stored in the abdominal area of your body, waist to hip ratio especially important in identifying whether you have to concentrate the weight loss.

On average, diet can lower cholesterol by 10 to 15 percent. Here are some guidelines for lowering cholesterol.

• Restrict your total fat intake to less than 30 percent of the calories you consume daily.

• Minimize your intake of saturated fat (animal proteins, palm oil, coconut oils).

• Restrict your intake of polyunsaturated fats (sunflower, safflower, corn, soybean oils) to 10 percent of your total fat intake. Monounsaturated fats (olive oil, peanuts, canola and flax seed oils) are healthier oils; try to use them in your cooking, or choose foods that contain them, instead of polyunsaturated fats where you can.

• Avoid the use of partially hydrogenated oils (margarine, shortening, processed foods), which are a source of trans-fatty acids that increase LDL-cholesterol while reducing HDL-cholesterol.

Diiet, regular aerobic exercise helps lower total and LDL cholesterol levels and raise HDL cholesterol levels. Obese patients can also raise their HDL levels by losing weight; smokers can raise theirs when they stop smoking.  A proper diet and exercise program are essential to the management of cholesterol. Patients without established cardiovascular disease are typically placed on a three- to six-month trial of diet and exercise therapy before considering cholesterol-lowering medications; for patients with known cardiovascular disease, changes in diet and exercise habits are often accompanied by immediate drug therapy. Even for patients who require medication for cholesterol reduction, diet and exercise therapy play an essential role in maximizing the response to these medications.

Multiple medical studies show that if cholesterol is lowered by any means, benefits are noticeable within one to three years for men and women. Cardiac catheterization data, where x-ray pictures are taken of the coronary arteries in patients with established heart disease, do not show any reduction in the size of these cholesterol deposits in-related to more stable plaque deposits and a decreased risk of these deposits rupturing.

When studies of interventional angioplasty (using a catheter directed balloon to open up clogged arteries) are compared to cholesterol drug therapy, most patients are found to fare better with drug therapy. In a recently reported West Scotland Study, 6,595 men ages 45 to 64 without a history of heart disease were given a cholesterol lowering medication (pravastain). Those patients on drug therapy achieved a 30 percent reduction in the rate of heart disease and cardiovascular death. Similar findings of a benefit of cholesterol reducing medications in patients for whom they were not traditionally prescribed was reported in the Heart Protection Study using simvastatin, another agent in this class.

No clinical studies confirm that medications to lower moderately elevated triglyceride levels (150 to 400) offer any benefit that outweighs the drug risks. What can you do to sharply reduce triglycerides, then, without taking drugs? You can lose weight, quit smoking, exercise regularly, minimize your sugar, alcohol and fat intake, and eat fatty fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon.

Niacin is a supplement that lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels while increasing HDL cholesterol levels. Niacin has been shown to favorably increase the size of the LDL and HDL cholesterol sub-components. It is a difficult supplement to take. Common side effects include stomach irritation and rather uncomfortable skin flushing and itching. Homocysteine, a substance in the blood related to the risk for heart disease, seems to be adversely affected by niacin. The use of niacin in cholesterol therapy is currently being investigated.

HDL is also known as high density lipoprotein; it is also known as good cholesterol since it works in a helpful way in the body. It usually moves through the bloodstream to collect overindulgence cholesterol and convey it to the liver. It is where HDL will be reduced from the body. Maintaining normal HDL cholesterol level is really very important since bad cholesterol build up could cause various health problems such as heart diseases and hypertension. Its good thing that it is very easy to maintain a normal HDL level, all you need is to abide with very simple guidelines.

First, you will need to take at least half an hour exercise five times a week. This is not only helpful to maintain HDL levels but also helpful to maintain your body healthy and in shape. One can do the exercise before or after they go to work depending on their comfort. Come to think of it, having exercise can also freshen up and condition the mind particularly if one always does it early in the morning before breakfast. In a point of fact, it is also a great way to start an energetic and active day which can always lead you towards achieving your everyday goal in dealing with your profession and with other personal matters.

Avoid Trans and saturated fats which are mostly found in dairy products such as butter, margarine, fried foods, as well as baked products. These fats increases bad cholesterol in the body and it is not helpful in maintaining a normal HDL level. You also need to maintain healthy diet. As much as possible, one should need to seek advice from their doctors or at least search for a diet that is applicable for you. Avoid vices such as smoking and drinking. This does not essentially mean that you should totally get rid of those vices; it is understandable that it is needed once you are having a night out fun with your circle of friends or your comrades. The thing is that you would have to make it a point that you are doing it with control.

Maintaining a healthy body weight is also helpful to maintain a normal HDL level. So, if you think or you have confirmed that you are overweight then it is high time for you to find ways to have a normal weight. After all, it is also advantageous to keep body in shape not only for the sake of wellness but also for the sake of beauty for both genders. In fact, there are people who are really working hard to maintain their body shape because they needed it for work or something that leads them to generating income. Of course this should always be done in a healthy way. If this is the case then one should always give importance to visiting their physician so that they will know when to increase or decrease their HDL level in order to keep it normal. If you can’t afford to regularly visit your physician then at least you can have thorough research which is helpful for maintaining a normal HDL cholesterol levels .

Total cholesterol is the sum of LDL (low density) cholesterol, HDL (high density) cholesterol, VLDL (very low density) cholesterol, and IDL (intermediate density) cholesterol.

What determines the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood?

The liver manufactures and secretes LDL cholesterol into the blood. It also removes LDL cholesterol from the blood by active LDL receptors on the surface of its cells. A decrease number of liver cell LDL receptors is associated with high LDL cholesterol blood levels.

Both heredity and diet have a significant influence on a person's LDL, HDL and total cholesterol levels. For example, familial hypercholesterolemia (hyper= more + cholesterol + emia= in blood) is a common inherited disorder whose victims have a diminished number or nonexistent LDL receptors on the surface of liver cells. People with this disorder also tend to develop atherosclerosis and heart attacks during early adulthood.

Diets that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol raise the levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood. Fats are classified as saturated or unsaturated (according to their chemical structure). Saturated fats are derived primarily from meat and dairy products and can raise blood cholesterol levels. Some vegetable oils made from coconut, palm, and cocoa are also high in saturated fats.

In all cases we recommend checking with your doctor, therapist or other qualified health provider. The information contained in this article is for information purposes only.