Understanding Cholesterol – Some Basic Facts

For a long time, cholesterol has been associated with the development of heart disease and therefore in a very bad light. Since its relationship with heart disease has been established, some people start to avoid like the plague! As a result, reduce cholesterol levels a person became a favorite theme among nearly all newspapers and magazines in the country. The issue has been very popular as the American public devours the fragments of these stories avidly. But is cholesterol really that bad? Let’s take a closer look to learn more about this allegedly deadly substance.

What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a waxy substance that occurs primarily in the liver. Despite all the bad reputation surrounding cholesterol, this substance has a definite use in your body. Cholesterol facilitates the construction and maintenance of cell membranes, aids in digestion and in the proper functioning of sex hormones, among others. High concentrations of this substance can be found in the different organs of the body such as the brain, nerves, liver, blood and bile.

There are two types of cholesterol that can be found in the body of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL).

LDL earned the reputation as the “bad cholesterol”. This type of cholesterol comes mainly from the food we eat – specifically food of animal origin. The body has no use for LDL as just finished blocking our arteries, leading to the development of various diseases of the heart.

HDL, on the other hand, are the nemesis of LDL and aptly called “good cholesterol”. LAD facilitate the removal of harmful LDL on “move” outside the body. Therefore, the higher the level of HDL and lower LDL levels in the body of a person, the lower the risk of developing these deadly heart disease! However, after traveling through the bloodstream, the return HDL in the liver and become harmful LDL. Why and how often undergo this transition LAD remains unknown even now.

Now that you know how LDL lead to the development of heart disease, should also recognize the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between these two types of cholesterol. Since most of the harmful LDL come from our diet, it is important that you start to realize the role of diet in controlling the disease.

Factors that raise cholesterol in your body Levels – There are 4 factors that may play an important role in increasing the levels of cholesterol in your body – eat animal-based food products, sugar, alcohol and stress. For now, you should already be aware of how eating animal-based foods can raise cholesterol levels in your body. Researchers have also established the connection between excessive consumption of sugar and alcohol as well as undue stress to levels of cholesterol in your body. It was noted that each of these three factors could cause the body to produce more natural cholesterol thus increasing total cholesterol levels in your body.

We all need cholesterol to keep our body functioning optimally on a daily basis. But we must bear in mind that we should always try to maintain a level of safety to minimize risks of developing these deadly heart disease.