The Good, The Bad And The Truth About Cholesterol
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With all the talks of obesity and America's race for thin
bodies, cholesterol has suffered a beating. It is even one of
the main figures in the development of hypertension, that
contribute much to coronary heart disease. Often seen as the
culprit in "fattening" America, cholesterol has become a food
taboo, something that must be avoided at all costs.
What people do not know though is that there are two kinds of
cholesterol and one kind is actually beneficial to the body. In
fact, it is one of the essential substances that our bodies need
to maintain balance.
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a substance that can be found in fats or in
lipids. Lipids are important because it is used to form cell
membrane, used to balance hormones and help in other bodily
functions. Too much cholesterol though tends to clog the
bloodstream, eventually leading to heart disease. And because
cholesterol cannot easily dissolved, only transported, the risk
of build-up is great. As mentioned earlier, there two kinds of
cholesterol, the LDL and the HDL cholesterol.
The bad cholesterol
The LDL cholesterol is frequently referred to as the
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"bad
cholesterol" because too much of these can accumulate in the
walls of the arteries and clog the blood stream that leads to
the heart and the brain. This build up, called atherosclerosis,
which can eventually lead to a heart attack or a stroke (brain
attack) depending on where the arteries are leading to.
High LDL increases the risk for heart disease so it important
that it is kept at normal range, which is below 100 mg/dL.
The good cholesterol
The HDL cholesterol on the other hand is referred to as the good
cholesterol as high levels seem to protect a person from heart
disease and hear attacks. According to some experts, instead of
staying at the arteries like the LDL, HDL leaves the arteries
and instead goes to the liver. In contrast with LDL levels, a
low HDL increases the risk for heart attack. Levels of HDL
should not be below 40 mg/dL for men and 50 mg/dL for women.
Regular exercise has been found to increase the levels of HDL.
Cholesterol in food
Foods that come from animals contain cholesterol levels. Just
how much depends on the kind of animal food. vegetables however
do not contain any cholesterol.
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TODAY'S NEWS:
While the cholesterol-lowering properties of soy proteins are well-documented, and more research is being conducted on pea protein, lupin has been hiding its light under a bushel, say the authors of ‘ Cholesterol-lowering effect of whole lupin ( Lupinus albus ) seed and its protein isolate’.
Only three hospitals in the northwest have the program, and St. Alphonsus is the only one in Idaho. And it's changing the game for people who otherwise might be running out of time.
New federal guidelines say every child should be screened for high cholesterol once between the ages of 9 and 11 and again between 17 and 21. The testing aims to find kids with extremely high cholesterol caused by a genetic condition. But the testing will find others whose cholesterol may not need treatment.
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In addition to the cholesterol that we get from food, the body
is also capable of producing its own cholesterol. This creates a
problem in overproduction since we also take in cholesterol
through the foods that we eat. Average individuals or those who
do not have any heart problems should only take in about 300
milligrams. For people who are already at risk for coronary
heart disease and heart attack, physicians recommend the
reduction in the intake of cholesterol. They should only take in
less than 200 milligrams. Everyone is also advised to keep their
consumption of saturated fats to a minimum, as these can
significantly help in lowering the risk for heart disease.
People, who have severe high blood pressure, are however advised
to take in no more than six ounces of lean meat and fish daily.
They should also choose the products thatv they buy and ensure
that they are fat free or low-fat.
About the author:
Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino,
California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines
and provides cholesterol resources on www.your-cholest
erol-resource.info.
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