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What is Cholesterol?

Jane Harmon
Jane Harmon

Cholesterol is a substance in the human body that is needed for building and regulating cells. Most people are familiar with the term, however, because of the fear of 'high cholesterol' and indeed, too much of the wrong kind of cholesterol is actively bad for you. The compound can be ingested in the food we eat, but most of your body's store is made in the liver and other organs and circulates in the bloodstream, where it does its work.

The story becomes confusing because there are actually two types of cholesterol, only one of which is bad for you - Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL), frequently referred to as 'bad cholesterol'. LDL is the substance that carries the building materials around the body to wherever they is needed. If you have too much LDL, it can line the artery walls in your bloodstream, forming 'plaque' and making your arteries narrower and less efficient at moving blood around. Plaque on the artery walls can, if left untreated, lead to a heart attack or stroke if it interferes with blood flow to the heart or brain.

Eggs contain high amounts of cholesterol.
Eggs contain high amounts of cholesterol.

On the other side of the equation are the High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL), which have the opposite effect on levels of this substance in your system. HDL also circulates through the bloodstream, but round up excess LDL and take it back to the liver to be processed out of your system. Hence, the amount of cholesterol in your system isn't as meaningful as the relative amounts of the types you have.

A bottle of safflower oil, which can increase HDL and lower LDL.
A bottle of safflower oil, which can increase HDL and lower LDL.

Watching the amount of cholesterol you consume - say, by limiting egg consumption - can have some small effect on your total levels, but since you produce around 75% of the total, that's often not sufficient. Fortunately, some foods actually increase your level of HDL, and adding these foods to your diet can increase your HDL. This in turn can help decrease your LDL, as the HDL gets to work cleaning it away.

The anatomy of a heart attack. Cholesterol in the bloodstream can build up as atherosclerotic plaque.
The anatomy of a heart attack. Cholesterol in the bloodstream can build up as atherosclerotic plaque.

Olives, olive oil, and most nuts and nut oils - the monounsaturated fats - all increase your HDL and lower your LDL. Other vegetable oils - the so-called polyunsaturated oils such as corn and safflower oils - also increase HDL and lower LDL, if not as effectively as the monounsaturated fats. Saturated fats, which usually come from animal products, such as meat, milk and cheese, raise both kinds of cholesterol.

When you consume fat, opt for a monounsaturated one like heart-friendly olive oil.
When you consume fat, opt for a monounsaturated one like heart-friendly olive oil.

The real villains of the story are the trans-fats. These often go by the name partially hydrogenated, and are laboratory creations meant to keep 'tub' margarines firm. They are widely used in commercial baking, and they raise your level of LDL (bad) and lower the level of HDL (good). If you make a habit of reading grocery labels, you will discover how many of the products we consume are laden with trans-fats. Removing these from your diet is a good first step to making sure you don't have to deal with the health issues associated with high levels of LDL later on.

Discussion Comments

shahrood

Garlic has a marvelous influence on the health of people with high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity. I was suffering from the same and my physician suggested many medicines to combat these disorders. My LDL cholesterol was 262 and HDL was just below normal.

At firs, I followed my physician's guidelines but after six months, I resisted the suggested medicines, and that was a very bad time for me. Being a researcher, I started searching for a single medicine for all those stupid disorders. At last I found that having an appropriate amount of garlic in your regular diet helps you to live a very healthy life.

I decided to practice on myself. I started to use 2-3 peeled cloves of chopped garlic in my breakfast. I often mixed them with yogurt and orange marmalade or jam, which were delicious with pancakes. I also changed my behavior and tried to keep myself cool and calm. After adding just two or three cloves of garlic in my regular diet, I felt amazing within three days. I also stopped eating salty and oily chips, B.Q, Coke or any cola, carbonated water, red meat containing fat, using green tea, more plain water, daily lemon juice without adding sugar or salt. The result was surprising and I was feeling energetic, much younger than 30, with a tremendous change in sexual pleasure and my cholesterol level results surprised my physician.

So I suggest to all my friends to take care yourself, check cholesterol levels every two months, leave costly medicines and their side effects, change your diet and stop aggressive behavior, talk friendly and enjoy a marvelous, happy and healthy life.

anon52538

I have 2-3mm polyps in my gall bladder. How can i get the treatment easily? Is surgery a necessity to cure this problem? kindly give me a reply. I am waiting for your reply for my problem. Please.

W0048716

What role does cholesterol play in the saturation of bile and eventually formation of gall stones?

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    • Eggs contain high amounts of cholesterol.
      By: Elenathewise
      Eggs contain high amounts of cholesterol.
    • A bottle of safflower oil, which can increase HDL and lower LDL.
      By: chungking
      A bottle of safflower oil, which can increase HDL and lower LDL.
    • The anatomy of a heart attack. Cholesterol in the bloodstream can build up as atherosclerotic plaque.
      By: Alila
      The anatomy of a heart attack. Cholesterol in the bloodstream can build up as atherosclerotic plaque.
    • When you consume fat, opt for a monounsaturated one like heart-friendly olive oil.
      By: margo555
      When you consume fat, opt for a monounsaturated one like heart-friendly olive oil.
    • Widely viewed as one of the healthiest types of cooking oil, canola oil is high in monounsaturated fats.
      By: branex
      Widely viewed as one of the healthiest types of cooking oil, canola oil is high in monounsaturated fats.
    • A large egg can contain about 225 mg of cholesterol, or most of the average person's daily allowance.
      By: Brent Hofacker
      A large egg can contain about 225 mg of cholesterol, or most of the average person's daily allowance.