What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is found in all cells of the body. Your body needs some cholesterol to function and makes all the cholesterol it needs in order to keep you healthy. It is also present in some of the foods we eat. It is used to make hormones, Vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods.
What is HDL and LDL Cholesterol?
Blood is a watery like substance and cholesterol is an oily one. As a result the two do not mix well together. So for it to travel in the bloodstream, cholesterol is carried in packages called lipoproteins. These packages are made of fat (lipo) on the inside and proteins on the outside. Two kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout your body, High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL).
• LDL Cholesterol (“Bad” Cholesterol)
High levels leads to a buildup of cholesterol in arteries, this is “bad” as it narrows/clogs them giving a greater chance of heart disease.
• HDL Cholesterol (“Good” Cholesterol)
This carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. The liver removes the cholesterol from your body. The higher your HDL cholesterol level, the lower your chance of getting heart disease.
Myths about Cholesterol
Below I have tried to clear up the misunderstandings that have occurred over this subject. Historically laymen, doctors and most scientists have been misled, as a result of systematically ignored or misquoted scientific data.
1. The only effective way to lower cholesterol is with drugs.
Truth: These drugs do not improve heart mortality or total mortality as their effect is only to lower cholesterol. In fact these drugs may be dangerous to your health and can shorten your life.
2. High blood cholesterol causes atherosclerosis
Truth: Many studies have shown that people with high blood cholesterol become just as atherosclerotic as people whose cholesterol is low.
3. Your body produces three to four times more cholesterol than you eat.
Truth: The production of cholesterol increases when you eat little cholesterol and decreases when you eat much. This explains why the “prudent” diet cannot lower cholesterol more than on average by a few per cent.
4. The Statins prevent heart disease by lowering Cholesterol.
Truth: These drugs do help prevent cardio-vascular disease, but this is due to other mechanisms than cholesterol-lowering. Unfortunately, they also stimulate cancer in rodents, disturb the functions of the muscles, the heart and the brain and pregnant women taking Statins may give birth to children with malformations more severe than those seen after thalidomide.
5. Cholesterol is a deadly poison.
Truth: Cholesterol is a substance vital to the cells of all mammals.
All cholesterol is not bad, but mental stress, physical activity and change of body weight may influence the level of blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is not dangerous by itself, but may reflect an unhealthy condition, or it may be totally innocent.
This article was written by John Jarmola, a freelance consultant Food Technologist who helps businesses develop more healthy food products and advises on “Healthy Eating”. For help on managing your Cholesterol and improving your diet and health, or to increase your knowledge visit: http://cholesterol-information-center.info/
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