Some Facts You Should Know About Cholesterol
If you have just been diagnosed with high cholesterol, if is essential that you be informed about the disease in every way possible, so that you could take informed decisions on how to manage it.
Cholesterol plays an important part in our body. It works hard to produce vitamin D, certain hormones, cell walls and bile acids. It is a naturally occurring fat-soluble molecule. Our liver produces cholesterol and also in a smaller amount, through our diet.
There are two different types of cholesterol in our bloodstream in any given time, which are transported in little bundles which are called: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol) which takes cholesterol from the liver to the body tissues. If there is a high level of unwanted (LDL) cholesterol in the blood, it will build up in the walls of the blood vessels and cause them to narrow.
Another type namely; HDL has the job to take the cholesterol away from the arteries to the liver where it is then processed and cast-off. Our bodies should have a high level of HDL (high-density lipoprotien), which in turn gives us healthy arteries and a healthy heart. The heart and cholesterol foundations of the world, now concur that an acceptable level of cholesterol in ones bloodstream would be 5. 5mmol/L or a bit lower. In layman’s terms this means we must maintain our bad LDL low and our good HDL high.
The western diet is rife with saturated fats in foods such as dairy products, fatty meats, fast foods and snack foods. Eating too much of those types of food is one of the most common causes of high cholesterol in society these days. It would be wise to substitute ones diet with foods that are low in saturated fats such a margarine spreads, oily fish, walnuts and pumpkin seeds.
By introducing physical activities into ones lifestyle, like an exercise routine, could drastically help with lowering ones cholesterol. Adhere to your doctor’s advise by eating well and having a good exercise regime daily. What is also deemed as undesirable for someone who has high cholesterol, is excessive alcohol and smoking. These two factors also play a huge role in managing ones cholesterol.
There are some factors that are unavoidable should you have cholesterol problems. Things like your gender would be one. It is known that males have a high cholesterol level than females. This does however level out when women start with menopause. Age also plays a big role as one tends to develop cholesterol problems with increased age. There is also the question of ethnic groups. Here it is also proven that certain ethnic groups are prone to have a higher risk than others. If your family members also suffer from high cholesterol, then the chances are that you would also as it is hereditary.
Would you like to learn more about foods that lower cholesterol? Read other article at low cholesterol diet