What Is High Cholesterol And How Does It Affect Me
April 11th, 2010 | 
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Cholesterol is a type of fat that is part of all animal cells. It is essential for many of the body metabolic processes, including hormone and bile production, and to help the body use vitamin D.
Cholesterol is more abundant in tissues which either synthesize more or have more abundant densely-packed membranes, for example, the liver, spinal cord and brain.
The liver is the main processing center for cholesterol. When we eat animal fats, the liver returns the cholesterol it can not use to our bloodstream and when there is too much cholesterol circulating in our bloodstream, it can build up into fatty deposits. These deposits cause the arteries to narrow and can eventually block the arteries completely, leading to heart disease and stroke.
Cholesterol is produced by the liver and it is also made by most cells in the body. It is carried around in the blood by lipoproteins. We need blood cholesterol because the body uses it to build the structure of cell membranes, to produce hormones like testosterone, adrenaline and estrogen and to aid the metabolism.
Types of Cholesterol
There are two types of cholesterol, good and bad, the difference between them is:
a. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol called the bad cholesterol because it goes into the bloodstream and clogs up your arteries.
b. High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol called the good cholesterol because it helps to take the bad cholesterol out of the bloodstream.
Cholesterol is transported towards peripheral tissues by the lipoproteins chylomicrons, very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL).
Risks associated with high triglycerides
According to the lipid hypothesis, abnormally high cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia), or more correctly, higher concentrations of LDL and lower concentrations of functional HDL are strongly associated with cardiovascular disease because these promote atheroma development in arteries (atherosclerosis). High cholesterol has also been linked to diabetes and high blood pressure.
Both heredity and diet have a significant influence on a person’s LDL, HDL and total cholesterol levels. Evidence strongly indicates that high cholesterol levels can cause narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis), heart attacks, and strokes.
Cholesterol in the bile can crystallize to form gall stones that may block the bile ducts. Cholesterol count also rises during pregnancy.
However, in recent years, scientists have come to realise that to decide whether an individual’s cholesterol levels are dangerous, these levels need to be considered in the light of the person’s overall risk of heart disease.The higher the risk of heart disease (for example, a male smoker with high blood pressure and diabetes), the greater the need to get cholesterol levels down.
Cholesterol tests
Cholesterol testing is recommended as a screening test to be done on all adults at least once every five years.
Foods that contain cholesterol
The cholesterol in your diet comes mainly from the saturated fats found in animal products. All foods from animals contain some cholesterol. Foods from plants do not contain cholesterol. Other sources of dietary cholesterol are full fat dairy foods, eggs and some seafood.
Safe blood cholesterol levels
Health authorities recommend that cholesterol levels should be no higher than 5.5mmols per liter. Approximately 50 per cent of adult Australians have a blood cholesterol level above 5mmols per liter. This makes high blood cholesterol a major health concern in Australia.
How to lower high cholesterol
The best way to maintain healthy levels of cholesterol in your diet is to limit foods high in saturated fats. Try to avoid: Fatty meats , full fat dairy products, processed meats like salami and sausages, snack foods like chips, most takeaway foods, especially deep fried foods, cakes, biscuits and pastries.
However the most important thing you can do to reduce your cholesterol level is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You should try to:
a. Limit the amount of cholesterol-rich foods you eat.
Increase the amount and variety of fresh fruit, vegetables and wholegrain foods you have each day.
b. Choose low or reduced fat milk, yoghurt and other dairy products or have added calcium soy drinks.
c. Choose lean meat (meat trimmed of fat or labeled as heart smart).
d. Limit fatty meats, including sausages and salami, and choose leaner sandwich meats like turkey breast or cooked lean chicken.
e. Have fish (fresh or canned) at least twice a week. Replace butter and dairy blends with polyunsaturated margarines.
f. Include foods in your diet that are rich in soluble fiber and healthy fats, such as nuts, legumes and seeds.
g. Limit cheese and ice cream to twice a week.
Some studies have suggested that eating oats and legumes may lower LDL cholesterol. Food components like saponins (found in chickpeas, alfalfa sprouts and other foods) and sulphur compounds (like allicin found in garlic and onions) may also have a positive effect on cholesterol levels.
Plant sterols can lower cholesterol levels,these are
found naturally in plant foods including sunflower and canola seeds, vegetable oils and (in smaller amounts) in nuts, legumes, cereals, fruit and vegetables. Some margarine has concentrated plant sterols added to it. Plant sterol enriched margarines may help to lower LDL cholesterol.
Treatment for high cholesterol
Treatment of high cholesterol is aimed at lowering the low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or bad cholesterol, lowering triglyceride levels, and increasing the high-density lipoproteins (HDL) or good cholesterol.
Treatment will be most effective if it also includes appropriate diet, weight loss (if necessary) and physical activity.
The first steps in treating high cholesterol levels are: Regular physical activity and healthy eating.
There are also some foods that may help to lower cholesterol levels, particularly garlic, soya, oats, corn and selenium-enriched cereals.
Cholesterol-lowering foods are not suitable for children under five years or for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers.
Medication :Statin drugs work by interfering with the cholesterol-producing mechanisms of the liver and by increasing the capacity of the liver to remove cholesterol from circulating blood. Statins can lower LDL cholesterol by as much as 60 percent, depending on the drug and dosage.
Posted in Healthcare
I reversed my diabetes and high cholesterol, I show on my page especially the rave diet vid I have on my page if you click my name on the left, You will see cancer,diabetic and heart disease patients reversing their disease with natural diet, it shows that by cleansing the body of toxins with a all vegetable diet you body will heal itsef, I love the testimonials given by real patients on my page that confess to healing themselves even when facing terminal disease
This guy needs to go back to college.
Recent studies have pointed to the role that stress plays in increasing cardiovascular inflammation, which in turn is a critical player in cardiovascular disease. Inflammation seems to provide the "glue" that everything else uses to stick to blood vessels.
From an evolutionary perspective this makes some sense. Back in the day, the kind of thing that would stress you out would be a life and death situation, like a lion chasing your butt. In these cases, your body would prepare you to deal with the potential impending butt-biting by flooding your system with chemicals designed to cause blood clotting, etc. Unfortunately, these days stress comes from more benign sources, like paying bills or having a nagging spouse, but the body's reaction to stress remains the same.
The outcome from heart surgery is very good, and generally the doctors have used the patients overall health to make that determination. Hopefully she has had a second opinion to make sure that there isn't a less invasive alternative.
depends on the kind few beers have any and those that do have little. spirits have none at all. so in general not much
I think the key is moderation. Also, the are other factors to consider. People should stop maligning cholesterol by itself because it is necessary for cell membrane, steroid synthesis, etc…
What people should do probably is to watch how much we eat so that we do not end up being a beach whale.
I think the main problem is a lack of exercise. My daughter is two. I was also concerned about this. She eats well, and of course, has some treats every now and then. However, I make sure she is very active.
We go to the pool almost everyday, and play in the garden. Sometimes we even go on the trampoline, and she has tumble classes twice a week. She will also start ballet *hopefully* when she is older, etc.
I am now 5'7" & 120lbs.
But when i was 14, I was the same height, but 156lbs.
I have learned my lesson the hard way i guess.
P.S. Not all good food, is bad. My daughter LOVES sweet fruit, etc.
Matthew 15:11
What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' "
As cholesterol has been demonized for so many years we have not been able to clear the blackboard and rethink… all studies of dead people have failed to show an association between their intake of saturated fat, or their serum cholesterol, and the degree of atherosclerosis. People who avoid all saturated fat and who have low cholesterol become just as atherosclerotic as people who gorge in animal food and whose cholesterol is high.
– Doctor Uffe Ravnskov
It's certainly NOT time to panic about this issue. You need to understand that this cholesterol issue is not well understood by doctors, as much as they would like you to believe. First of all, the LDL cholesterol is what transports fatty acids to areas in the body. LDL is NOT the bad guy it is made out to be, but there is one aspect of the LDL, the pattern 2 or very dense LDL particles that can contribute to reducing the lumen size of the arterial walls. Pattern 2 LDL comes from eating GRAIN, SUGAR, and CORNSTARCH; all the ingredients in processed foods.
The protein, Homocysteine is the real culprit, not cholesterol. The amino acid homocysteine causes the blood to become sticky and some minor bulging of the arterial walls making it like a speed bump, there by encouraging plaque build up on the interior walls. This also, by the way causes your blood pressure to rise.
The homocystein amino acid is a result of inadequate b vitamins and this is generally due to the lack of good intestinal flora. The b vitamins most responsible for this is B-6 and Folic Acid, as well as B-12. Synthetic vitamins are a waste because they are synthetic chemical activators made from coal tar, so don't run out and buy a bunch of junk and waste your money.
It is a proven fact that longevity is associated with cholesterol levels between 200 and 240 and for women it should be even higher. An LDL cholesterol number of around 160 is very good and HDL around 50 to 60 is very good. Having said that, the LDL pattern 2 to pattern 1 ratio needs to have little pattern 2 and lots of pattern 1 and then the LDL cholesterol is very good and can be high with no problem.
The only way you will know if your LDL cholesterol ratio is good or bad is not to get the typical doctor recommended cholesterol blood test, but get a "PCR LAB TEST." This is the only way to know your LDL pattern 1 to pattern 2 ratio and that is the real numbers you need. To lower your LDL if you have a lot of pattern 2 LDL particles, all you have to do is eliminate GRAINS, SUGAR, and CORNSTARCH from your diet and within days, your LDL numbers will go way down. Doctors do not make money on advice like that. Drug companies rely on you being ignorant and giving doctors huge trips and bonuses for selling lots of their drugs. It's simply the way it works.
Over 50% of patients using statins experience a lot of muscle pain and that is due to this deterioration of muscle tissue. Did you know that your heart is a muscle? Hmmm. It is very typical of drugs to cause you to trade one problem for another.
Statins such as Lipitor, Zocor, Pavacol and Mevacor lower cholesterol by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, a key enzyme in cholesterol synthesis. But they may also activate the gene atrogin-1 gene, which plays a key role in muscle atrophy.
3 separate tests showed that even at low concentrations, statin drugs led to atrogin-1 induced muscle damage. As the concentration was increased, the damage increased as well. You really do not want to go the drug route and create these kinds of problems for yourself.
Poor fat digestion is another issue you need to address. Cholesterol is made in your liver. It is NOT a fat, but a form of alcohol. 85% of all the cholesterol in your body is made by your liver. Only 15% comes from your diet. If you don't get it in your diet, your liver simply makes more.
INFLAMMATION is the real culprit along with homocysteine amino acid from B vitamin deficiencies. Eating vegetable oils, like CANOLA, SOYBEAN, COTTONSEED, and CORN oils are TERRIBLE FOR YOU because they produce lots of inflammation and contribute heavily to heart disease. Margarine, hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils all contribute heavily to heart disease.
Eating lots of RAW BUTTER made from raw cream is very good for you, as well as COCONUT OIL, COCONUT MILK, are all medium chain fatty acids that are very good for you. Olive oil is an excellent oil and if you make a mixture of 1/3 Olive, 1/3 Sesame, and 1/3 Coconut oil, that is an excellent oil combination to use in everything. Salad dressings made with this combination and balsamic vinegar make an excellent dressing.
The proper FAT ratio in your diet should be 60% monounsaturated fats (like Olive oil), 30% saturated fats (like the RAW BUTTER from grass fed cows and Coconut oil), and 10% polyunsaturated fats from (nuts and seeds). The best thing to do with the nuts and seeds is to soak them overnight and then culturize them. You can make great smoothies from these. don't get the bottles of oils made from these things because they are all oxidized (rancid) and the manufacturers use a lot of deodorizers in them to get rid of the stench so you won't smell it.
For these people to tell you saturated fats are bad is ludicrous and they have no idea what they are talking about. First of all, NATURE always packages ALL FATS as a combination of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats along with a glycerol molecule. That is a triglyceride. The combination of these fatty acids in foods are what make it dominant in one particular fatty acid type.
You need to see a Certified Nutritional Therapist that understands all this to really truly help you understand how the body works, not a bunch of drugs to damage the body.
good luck to you
I better stop eating fast food………man
Legend, couldn’t agree more
when I shop at my local butchers I am fully aware of how the animals are reared, how they are slaughtered and how they are then cut up for sale. But you’re right, a business is there to make money, and not to look out for your health, just look at statins and the pharmaceutical companies that sell them.
Thank God, someone of intelligence!!!
Randall, Eating won't affect your Hba1c at all. But it you ingest food it will affect fasting levels . In fact it won't be a fasting test but a random test.
Also I had high blood pressure and cholesterol and higher glucose levels than I like . So I began nordic walking 1 1/2 hours a day and my fasting went to 111 and my blood pressure went to 118/ 68, plus cholesterol went to 183.
Try it you will like it.
Tin
Cholesterol is essentially fat particles in the blood. Over the years it can lead to clogged arteries, which would make a person at risk for stroke or heart attack. You should start a low fat diet, staying away from red meats and pork. Skinned chicken, fish, grains, fruits and veggies would be good for you. Stay away from fast foods, they are very high in cholesterol and can be very deadly.
Same way any guy gets any woman : Money.
Older guys generally have more of it.
The low-fat, low-cholesterol program: FOODS PERMITTED
SOUPS: Emphasize bouillons and consommés, as they are low in calories and fats. They are ideal for relieving that hungry feeling quickly. Soups stimulate the digestive juices. Use fat-free vegetable soups, vegetable broths, and soups prepared with skimmed milk. It is imperative to remove all visible fat and grease from the soup
MEATS: Beef, veal, and lamb are naturally high in both visible and "invisible" fat. However, since their protein content is most desirable they are basic ingredients in the low-fat diet. Much of the dietary fat allowance is contained in meat, which has its greatest amount of calories predominantly in fat. The visible fat must be carefully cut away and trimmed while raw, before cooking. During the cooking, baking, or broiling of the meat, the fat should be drained off by keeping the meat or roast on racks. Do not fry meats. Pan-cook or brown without fat or grease.
Remember that among meats pork, bacon, and ham are highest in fat and cholesterol content. They should not be eaten on the low-fat diet other than occasionally. The same is generally true of sausages, and organ foods like brains, sweetbreads, and kidneys. Liver is an exception, however.
If gravy is desired, it must be prepared free of its usual very high fat content. Instead of gravies, meats can be flavored by the following garnishes: watercress, parsley, celery, carrots, radishes, pimento, pickles, paprika, green peppers, cucumbers, mushrooms, and onions. Also helpful are spiced peaches, pears, prunes, apricots, cinnamon apples, spiced watermelon rind, applesauce, cinnamon pears, pineapple pieces, broiled bananas, seasoned tomatoes, herbs, and the various relishes such as mint jellies and sauces, chili, catsup, cranberry jellies, chutney, and many others. Also appealing are some of the following seasonings: garlic cloves, thyme, marjoram, basil, oregano, bay, and peppermint.
FISH: fish are often excellent low-fat food sources. Some fish are especially low in fat, such as perch, haddock, flounder, sturgeon, smelts, and scallops. Others like brook trout, porgy, cod, and croakers are higher in fat content, but are still quite low compared with meats. Shell-fish are low in fat. Lobster, shrimps, and crabs are ideal examples. Clams are next; oysters are a bit higher but are still low in comparison with beef. For the connoisseurs, frogs-legs are also low in fat content. Many canned fish when not packed in oil are very low in fat.
POULTRY: Chicken and turkey are excellent sources of animal proteins for low-fat content, provided lean poultry is used. The dark meat of poultry is higher in fat content than white meat. Skin should be discarded. Giblets are very high. Guinea hen and squab are also comparatively low in fat content. However, duck and goose are extremely high in fat and should not be included unless the fat is drained off and removed. As a matter of fact, the fat from chicken and turkey, even though much less quantitatively than that in meat, is best drained off and removed in the same manner as in the preparation and cooking of all meats.
EGGS: Egg whites, which are proteins, may be eaten and used for cooking as much as desired. The yellow portion of the egg, or the yolk, contains one of the most concentrated forms or fat available—namely cholesterol—and therefore should be avoided.
MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS: One pint or more daily of non-fat or skim milk should be taken. Use fortified milk with added amounts of vitamin A and D. Buttermilk is also a refreshing source of milk with low-fat content. As an added source of low-fat protein, skim or fat-free milk can be fortified by adding to each glass of milk one or more tablespoonfuls of dried, skim milk. This "fortified" milk also has a thick creamy taste and can be flavored to suit the individual taste with various flavoring agents. Yogurt made from non-fat milk can also be used for nutritious variety.
CHEESES: cannot be used but there are several exceptions. First is cottage cheese made from dry curd and non-fat milk. One of the most frequent pitfalls is the user's failure to notice that often she is using or buying creamed cottage cheese, which of course does contain fat. This creamed cottage cheese can be corrected by washing it out with cold water through a strainer. Various brands of cottage cheese that taste like creamed cottage cheese are available, such as "Slim Cheez" or Ricotta Cheese made from milk whey. There are also other foreign cheeses low in fat content, which are processed from non-fat milk or whey, such as the Geska type of Sapsago cheese certain Scandinavian cheeses, and in the United States brands of jack cheese made from skim milk or whey..
VEGETABLES AND FRUITS: Vegetables are virtually fat free and contain no cholesterol. To prepare vegetables without butter or fat a little originality is required by the cook, such as by the use of herbs or seasoning. Since many o
you dont HAVE to stop eating fast food to stay in shape.
Just like anything else you eat you dont need to OVERDO it
Cholesterol does NOT cause Heart attack IN AND OF ITSELF,
if you have to much sugar you can die, if you have to much fat you can die,
if you have to much of allmost ANYTHING you can die,
so the concept that cholesterol is “Bad” for you is totaly WRONG
Eat whatever you like and Work out a little and you will be fine
Doctors REALLY need to Stop selling DISS-Information