Lowering Your Cholesterol Level Simplified

What is Cholesterol?

It is a type of fat - lipid - made by the liver in the body.Without it,the body will not function properly.This makes cholesterol essential and vital for good health. It is also part of the outer membrane of every cell in the body.It acts as an insulator to nerve fibres - which carry chemical signals around the body - travel properly.

Types of Cholesterol

Cholesterol travels around the blood stream attached to protein.This fat and protein combination is called lipoprotein.

There are three main types :

*High density lipoprotein (HDL) - more protein and small amount of fat - which is regarded as good because it takes cholesterol away from the cells in the arteries and sends them back to the liver where they are either broken down or excreted out.

*Low density lipoprotein (LDL) - small protein and more fat - which is regarded as bad because too much of it can build fatty deposits called plaques in the arteries.The effects of these deposits, are the narrowing the blood vessels. Narrowing and blockage of blood vessels that supply the heart, can cause heart disease and possibly heart attack respectively. While narrowing and blockage of the blood vessels that supply the brain can cause stroke.

* Triglycerides are fat which come from the food we eat.These are stored in fat cells and fat tissues in the body.Low levels of triglycerides has been known to be in the blood stream,and this presence is called Very low density lipoprotein (VLDL).

Causes of high cholesterol

* Eating food that are high in saturated fat e.g. liver, eggs, offal, shellfish, fatty cut of red meat, meat pies, sausages, butter, ghee, lard, cream, hard cheese, coconut oil, palm oil, cakes, biscuits.

* Not doing any exercise or regular physical activity may increase low density lipoprotein (LDL) and conversely decrease high density lipoprotein (HDL).

* Food that have trans fat, meaning that they contain hydrogenated fat, e.g. fast food, spreads, cakes, pastry, margarine, some types of biscuits.

* Generally, cholesterol levels rises as we age.Men are more likely to have a higher rise that women.

* Obesity or being overweight can cause low density lipoprotein (LDL) to increase and conversely decrease high density lipoprotein (HDL).

How to lower your cholesterol

* By eating diets that are high in unsaturated fats e.g. oily fish, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, corn oils, olive oils, walnut oils, rapeseed oils, avocados, lean meat, white meat, low fat dairy products, low fat spreads, oats, beans, fruits, lentils, vegetables, peas, chickpeas, garlic, soya, selenium enriched cereals, food with soluble fibres.

* Preparing food by steaming, boiling, grilling, poaching and microwaving, instead of roasting and frying.

* Taking regular physical exercise, even if it is a brisk walk for 30 minutes a day.

* Eating specially designed food that contain plant stanols and sterols e.g. yoghurts, some special spreads.

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