What is Cholesterol?I get so many phone calls and office visits about high cholesterol that I thought this week would be a good time to explain all the aspects of cholesterol. Some questions I receive is “If cholesterol is so bad for you, how can there be a "good" cholesterol?” “What's the difference between saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat?” “What are triglycerides and trans fatty acids?” “How do different types of fat impact cholesterol levels?” First of all, what is Cholesterol? Cholesterol is a lipid, a soft, fat-like substance that, in reasonable quantities, is critical to good health. It is a component of cell membranes, is found in all body tissues, and is converted into various hormones. Cholesterol comes from two sources: it's produced by the body, mainly in the liver. And it's found in food, especially animal products such as meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products and eggs. What is Good & Bad Cholesterol? The answer to this question will become clear once you understand how cholesterol is shuttled around in the body. Like other nutrients, cholesterol has to travel to the body's cells through the blood. However, since it is not water soluble, the substance must be transported to organs by special carriers called lipoproteins. There are several kinds of lipoproteins, but low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) are the ones that get all the attention when it comes to cholesterol. LDL is the major cholesterol carrier in the blood. It has been dubbed "bad" because it slowly builds up in the walls of arteries. Together with other substances, LDL-cholesterol can form plaque (a thick, hard deposit) that restricts the flow of blood through the arteries and can result in a heart attack or stroke. Studies have shown that, in adults with high blood cholesterol, for each one percent reduction in total cholesterol levels, there is a two percent reduction in the number of heart attacks. In other words, if you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, reducing your cholesterol level by 15 percent, could drop your risk of coronary heart disease by 30 percent. On the other hand, HDL carries about one-third to one-fourth of blood cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is touted as "good" because it not only carries cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it's removed from the body, but it sweeps away the cholesterol dumped by LDL. Next week, I’m going to cover the roles that fat plays in the human body, you’ll be surprised that there are good fats which can lower cholesterol, triglycerides and even body fat, so stay tuned to Nutritional Living! Be blessed and be healthy! Ward W. Bond, Ph.D. |
