Bad Cholesterol – What Is It And How Does It Work?
The key cause of heart diseases as the doctors suggest is cholesterol. High cholesterol level in the blood can not only lead to heart attacks but also several other issues like hart failure, hypertension, diabetes, weight problems and other long term & acquired conditions. Let us first understand what this cholesterol is – It is a waxy fat-like substance naturally made in the liver of our body. Though cholesterol holds a thorough 'bad guy image,' surprisingly it serves many vital functions for our healthy living.
Basically, cholesterol is of two types:
x. Low Density Lipoprotein or LDL
xi. High-Density Lipoprotein or HDL
Low Density Lipoprotein or LDL
7. It is the actual bad guy. It is this type of cholesterol that clogs the blood vessels leading to increased risks of heart attack and other heart diseases.
8. The researchers have now proved that diet comprising of highly saturated fats increase the level of LDL cholesterol in our body, though it is only a dietary cause for the same.
High-Density Lipoprotein or HDL
This is 'the good man' or to be more specific, the favorable type of cholesterol.
1. It clears 'the bag guy' that is the LDL cholesterol from our blood stream, thereby, reducing the risk of all heart ailments.
2. Researches have shown that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables along with average levels of omega-3 from fish oil greatly helps raise HDL cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol - This word has now become too common in among the middle aged individuals. Though, the teenagers fortunately are yet very far from this disaster.
Understanding some medical terms regarding cholesterol is important like - Atheroma.
Caused by the bad cholesterol or the LDL it is a plaque of our arteries – in a lay man's lingo fat streaks. If not monitored well, 'macrophage white blood cells' accumulation can even happen to a 10 year old child or even younger.
In such cases the early but quiet and slow symptoms start developing in the child at the tender age of 5. As the child grows up veins get chocked with accumulations. Most oft, the exact symptoms show up only after the prognosis that is the on set of heart attack or a stroke – unfortunately it comes to the surface when it is already late. This type of stroke often acts as a silent killer that may cause death or lifetime disability.
It is incapacitating to imagine how the high level of bad cholesterol can lead to serious consequences for the body. Though some people appear to be healthy on the forefront all through the life, their ailment shows up only with the lab tests. These results are at times too surprising or shocking.
The hidden fact behind this drastic rise of bad cholesterol in the body is simple enough - high in take of saturated fats in your diet.
It just a minute to read through the labels of labels or the guides of the processed foods such as canned goods & other packed products among groceries. They all clearly mention the amount of cholesterol that food has.
In order to understand the functioning of cholesterol in the body, we must first understand as to how does it get metabolized in our body.
Cholesterol does not come from your diet alone. Diet is just one of the factors and there are several other mechanisms attached to this process. The good cholesterol supports the biochemical functioning of our body like producing bile and regulation of fat soluble vitamins like K, A, E, and D.
Cholesterol also makes great impact on our body's synthesis of the hormones. Right after the cholesterol is utilized in our body, it excretes in the form of excess lipids in our gall bladder & liver as crystal particles. Cholesterol basically is not soluble in water. Hence, it circulates in our body over & over again until it gets converted in to bad cholesterol or the low density lipoproteins. In the healthy individuals the metabolism is smooth where bad cholesterol minimizes and comes in large quantities. The bas cholesterol comes in n number of small sizes. It is usually trapped in our veins as the accumulated clogs.
The key to lower the high cholesterol is simply watching over our diet, with no genetic weaknesses on the cards. Avoid foods where cholesterol or fatty oils are prevalent in excess like animal meats & fats, especially beef & pork.
Try and discipline your life and you could work better on your less cholesterol diet!