Cholesterol – All Food Containing Animal Fats Have It

Introduction

Cholesterol is a fatty like found in the cell membranes of all tissues, and flows in the blood plasma of all animals. It is also called a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol) and is more bountiful in tissues which either synthesize more of it or contain more abundant densely-packed membranes, for example, the liver, spinal cord and brain and is insoluble in blood, but is transported in the circulatory system connected to one of the kinds of lipoproteins. It is necessary in the membranes of mammalian cells for normal cell function, and is either created or derived from the diet, in any case it is delivered by the bloodstream in low-density lipoproteins.

Cholesterol is only slightly soluble in H2O; it cannot dissolve and be transported in the water-based bloodstream. It is largely found in animal fats: all food containing animal fats contains Cholesterol; food not containing animal fats either contains none or negligible amounts. It’s a waxy, fat-like material that can build up on the walls of your arteries (blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to other parts of the body) and plays necessary roles in the formation of cell membranes, some hormones, and vitamin D.

Disease

Vast numbers of low density particles (LDL) are strongly associated with the presence of arterial disease inside the arteries. In contrast, having tiny amounts of large particles (HDL) has been independently tied to arterial disease progression inside the arteries. In other words too much LDL or too little HDL is associated with arterial disease. This disease process can lead to a heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.

It is recommended that you have your levels tested more often than 5 years if a person: has combined levels of 200 mg/dL or more, is a man past age 45 or a woman over age 50, has HDL (good) cholesterol less than 40 mg/dL, or some other risk factors for heart disease and stroke. A campaign is under way to teach women that heart disease isn’t just for men. It’s estimated that 70,000,000 Americans have at least one form of heart disease. New results from the Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial showed that consuming a low-fat diet for 8 years DID NOT prevent heart disease, breast cancer, or colon cancer, and didn’t have much of an effect on weight loss, either.

What is becoming clearer and clearer is that bad fats,referring to saturated and trans fats, raise the risk for certain diseases while good fats, referring to mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats, reduce the risk. In a study of over eighty thousands female nurses, Harvard researchers actually found that elevating cholesterol intake by 200 mg for every one thousands calories in the diet (about an egg a day) DID NOT appreciably raise the chance for heart disease. Recent research by Harvard investigators has shown moderate egg consumption–up to one a day–DOES NOT increase heart disease risk in healthy people. Those with diabetes, though, should probably limit themselves to no more than two or three eggs a week, as the Nurse’s Health Study found that for such people, an egg a day could increase the risk for heart disease.

Levels

According to the lipid proposal , unusually high levels (AKA hypercholesterolemia) and abnormal proportions of LDL and HDL are associated with cardiovascular disease by contributing to atheroma development in arteries (atherosclerosis). Because high LDL contributes to this process, it is named”bad cholesterol”, while high levels of HDL (“good cholesterol”) contribute a degree of protection against heart disease. Abnormally low levels are termed hypocholesterolemia. As has been stated, high levels in the blood can increase your chances of heart disease and your levels tend to rise as you become older. During the 1960s and 70s, scientists established a link between high blood levels and heart disease.

Some types of fat are obviously good for cholesterol levels and others are clearly bad for them. While it is well known that high blood levels are connected to an increased risk for heart disease, scientific studies have shown that there is only a weak relationship between the amount of cholesterol a person “consumes” and their blood levels or chances for heart disease.

For some people with elevated levels, lowering the amount in the diet has a small but helpful impact on blood cholesterol levels. Though it’s true that egg yolks have a lot of cholesterol–and, therefore may slightly impact blood levels–eggs also contain nutrients that may help decrease the risk for heart disease, including protein, vitamins B12 and D, riboflavin, and folate. Saturated fats increase total blood levels more than dietary cholesterol because they tend to boost both good HDL and bad LDL. Trans fats are even worse than saturated fats because they elevate bad LDL and lower good HDL.

In studies in which poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats were eaten in place of carbohydrates, these good fats decreased LDL levels and increased HDL levels. Logically, most of the effect that fat intake has on heart disease is because of its effect on blood cholesterol levels. In other words, low-fat diets appear to provide no apparent advantages over diets with fat levels close to the national average.

Conclusion

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is found in all cells of the body and is also found in some of the foods you consume. It is recommended by the American Heart Association to test your levels every 5 years for people aged twenty years or older. There are usually no signs or symptoms that you have high blood cholesterol, but it can be diagnosed with a blood test. You are likely to have high levels if people in your family have it, if you are overweight or if you eat a lot of fatty foods. You can decrease your levels by exercising more and consuming more fruits and vegetables. You also may need to take medicine to lower it.

Ricardo Henri is the owner of alternative Remedies,Treatments And treatments,a site containing extensive information concerning taking care of your own health containingout relying on medications and needless surgery. Subscribe to his monthly newsletter @ alternative remedies treatments