Cholesterol and You Guide part 2

July 8, 2008

Where do Cholesterol and Triglycerides come from?

Cholesterol is found ONLY in the animal foods you eat.
Triglycerides are found in BOTH animal fats and plant oils.

• Animal organs like brains & liver have high amounts of cholesterol so do egg yolks, shrimps and crayfish.

• Other parts of the animal used for eating along with whole dairy products for example milk & butter have substantial amounts of cholesterol.

Your liver actually makes a high quantity, about 2/3rds of cholesterol the body uses.

It uses the fats you eat, mainly the saturated fats to make the cholesterol.
The liver also makes a certain amount of the triglycerides used.

Both sugar & alcohol increase the liver’s production of triglycerides.

If it is found that your cholesterol levels are high, as well as looking at your diet you may have to have some medication called Statin. This is a medicine that works by blocking the enzyme that makes the liver produce cholesterol.

The best way to reduce your blood cholesterol level or keep it low is to choose foods low in saturated fat.

One way to do this is by choosing foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grain foods, and low fat or non fat dairy products, which are naturally low in fat.

Also, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are high in starch and fiber, which can help reduce your blood cholesterol or keep it low.

The Different Types of ‘HARMFUL’ Fats.

There are several different types of fat in our diet and over the years we have been lead to believe that ANY fat is dangerous to our health as it causes heart disease & other problems.

The fact is we NEED fat in our diet, to give our body fuel for energy. Another fact that has not been explained fully is that not ALL fats are harmful. We have explored the cholesterol side of things now lets explore the fat side of things.

Saturated fats: are the fats which are solid at room temperature & are found in high quantities in meat, animal fat & dairy products, they are also found in some oils like palm & coconut oils.
These fats ARE harmful to our health as they solidify in our veins.

Trans Fats: Is another kind of fat you need to be aware of. This is ‘manufactured fat’. This fat have been developed by industry NOT by nature.
It was created soley for the purpose of transforming liquid oils into solids so they could be transported more easily and following this process the solid fat is less likely to go rancid or off in other words. This fat works in the same damaging way saturated fats do, causing heart disease and strokes from atherosclerosis.

We find this Trans fat in commercial goods such as baked goods, fast - food fries and margarine.

What Your Cholesterol Levels Mean to You

When your healthcare professional checks your cholesterol levels, it is your LDL levels (Low-Density Lipoproteins) that will be the important. This level is a good indicator of your risk of developing heart disease.

As a general rule, the higher your LDL level, the greater the risk of you developing heart disease is.

LDL-Cholesterol Levels:
Less than 100 mg/dL Optimal
100 to 129 mg/dL Near Optimal/Above Optimal
130 to 159 mg/dL Borderline High
160 to 189 mg/dL High
190 mg/dL and above Very High

HDL-Cholesterol Levels:
Less than 40 mg/dL A major risk factor for heart disease
40 to 59 mg/dL The higher your HDL, the better
60 mg/dL and above An HDL of 60 mg/dL and above is considered protective against heart disease

Beginning Your LDL Lowering Routine

In addition, to your treatment for lowering the levels of LDL in your blood, you and your healthcare professional, will also need to look at what risk factors you have that influence the LDL lowering treatment.

Lowering LDL is the main aim of treatment if you have high cholesterol, and the treatment can be:

• A change in diet,
• Cholesterol lowering tablets and change in diet.

An activity programme would be a good thing to consider, especially if you have some excess weight you could do with losing.

Now would be a good time to start giving your body a workout. Look at what you enjoy outside work, perhaps a short walk at lunchtime and another one in the evening?

You don’t have to turn in to an Olympic athlete overnight, but, it is the little things you do that will make a huge difference now and in the future.

Posted in Cholesterol, Health & Fitness