Posts Tagged ‘cholesterol’

Saturated Fats and Trans Fats as the Main Culprit of Cholesterol You Should Recognize

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

If you are suffering from cholesterol problem, what you need to get is suitable management on its kind of disease. However, before knowing better how to handle it well, what you need to know is the culprit and kind of cholesterol.

Definitely, cholesterol is steroids and alcohol combined. This blend is referred to as sterol. Additionally, it is also a fat that is called a lipid. Most of the substance that we have in our bodies is yielded by the liver. The remaining quantities are actually ingested from the foods that we eat.

Saturated Fats and Trans Fats as the Main Culprit of Cholesterol

Saturated fat is the major trigger from the elevated cholesterol level. The saturated fat triggers to produce too much amount of this substance. The other fat is trans fats which also has the identical type of effect.

This kind of bad substance is also contained in animal foods. There is none of it in veggies and other plant foods. When in fat form the cholesterol does not dissolve in blood. Hence, you need to use some other substances to get the fatty cholesterol to dissolve. That is where lipoproteins take its vital role.

Lipoproteins are specific kind of carriers. They can either be low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) with the former being bad for the body while the latter is good for the body.

The main carrier of bad cholesterol is LDL. When its level rises, the walls of your arteries may fill with plaque that will cause a reduction of the arteries. This in turn will ruin free flow of blood to basic parts of the body.

When blood does not reach basic organs including the heart, you can be endangered of suffering from a heart attack or stroke. You will need to keep the levels of cholesterol at under 100 mg/dl to enjoy good health.

Otherwise, HDL or high-density lipoproteins will return cholesterol to the liver where it can be excreted. Thus, there is less opportunity of plaque build-up in the arteries, which shows lower health peril.

It follows then that to take pleasure in good health you need more HDL and less LDL cholesterol. The most excellent technique to raise HDL is through exercise and by getting rid of or drastically lowering intake of fats, more particularly saturated fats and Trans fats.

By recognizing the difference of LDL and HDL, then you could conclude that not all cholesterol is disadvantageous. What you need to do then is increasing the amount of good HDL and reduce the amount of your LDL.

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The Basics of Cholesterol

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

We all hear plenty about cholesterol today, but many of us are still confused about what it is and what we can do about it. To complicate matters further, there is both "good"– which we want to encourage – and "bad"– which we must eliminate. Because a healthy cholesterol level is a significant factor in a healthier lifestyle overall, it is worth a small time investment to learn more about this substance and what we can do to control it.

What is It?
Cholesterol is a substance that is produced in the liver and is used for a variety of useful functions. These functions include protecting cell membranes, assisting nerve cells in transmitting messages and enabling your gall bladder to produce bile acid. It also serves as a building block for vitamin D and certain hormones like estrogen and testosterone. So if cholesterol is so important to our bodies, why do we worry when we have too much? The problem begins when too much gets into the bloodstream and begins to clog up the flow through the arteries. When this happens, the risk of stroke and heart attack becomes elevated and the amount needs to be brought back down to eliminate the risk.

Two Types
There are two different types of cholesterol found in the body. The first, high-density lipoproteins or HDL, is considered "good" cholesterol because it is too dense to enter the bloodstream and is carried out of the body via the liver instead. This is the one that you can afford to have more of, and there are ways to raise a low HDL level. Exercise is one of the best methods; since it will raise the HDL number and help you maintain a healthy weight at the same time. Kicking the smoking habit can also raise the HDL level.

The second type of cholesterol is known as low-density lipoprotein or LDL. This is the cholesterol that can stick to artery walls, clogging up the blood flow and increasing the risk for heart attack and stroke. LDL is the cholesterol you want less of, and you can lower this number with a diet high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat and low in saturated and trans fat. In cases where the number is very high, your doctor may recommend medication until the level gets back down to the normal range.

Knowing your cholesterol level can make a significant difference in your ability to manage your health. The different numbers and types may be somewhat confusing, but it doesn't take long to learn the basics of cholesterol so that you can take control of your health and your quality of life. Online Car Auctions

Some Misconceptions Related To Cholesterol

Monday, January 19th, 2009

One of the most common myths surrounding cholesterol is that each and every food that contains high fatty content will affect your health adversely. However, not all dietary fats are the same and in fact, in this regard you will need to distinguish between saturated fatty and non-saturated fatty acids. In addition, there are mono-saturated fatty acids to contend with as well.

There no doubts the fact that saturated fatty acids will cause increase in fat in a person’s blood and adds to the bad cholesterol or LDL (low density lipoproteins). On the other hand poly-unsaturated and mono-saturated fatty acids have the opposite effect in that they reduce fat in a person’s blood and in addition they decrease bad cholesterol as well.

Not Good For Your Body

Another common myth is that cholesterol is not good for your body; however, it is a required (and, essential) ingredient that keeps a person’s body functioning normally and it is also found in membranes of living cells. Cholesterol also helps to prevent from entering the dangerous chemicals and it also does not make it possible components of cells to leave the cells; moreover, it is also essential with the formation of the sex hormones of a person as well as bile salts.

The majority of the people also believe in an erroneous way that by consuming the vitamins E and C they can lower the level of cholesterol in their bodies. However, this is not true and nor is there any evidence that supports such a way of thinking. The myth that it is the sole reason why plaque builds up in a person’s arteries is false and needs to be debunked.

In fact, the plate is generally caused because of a known amino-acid under the name of homocyst?ine which however made adhere cholesterol molecules to him what alternatively attracts more these molecules and thus, plate is formed.

It is also commonly believed that high levels of cholesterol will make a person feel sick. In fact, there are no real visible symptoms or signs to let a person know that levels of cholesterol in their body are on the high side. The only way to determine whether or not such levels are high is through having a lipid profile taken.

It is also wrong to believe that high cholesterol levels are only found in the blood of old people. However, keeping a close check on these levels is vital to enjoying safe and good health. Our lives today are filled with a lot more pressure than was the case only a few decades ago and this is causing even young adults to suffer from elevated levels of cholesterol in their blood. Keeping tabs on the amount of cholesterol present in your blood is a good means of controlling the situation and ensuring good health.