Where Does Cholesterol in Your Blood Come From?

Cholesterol gets a bad rap, when in fact it is needed for many body functions. The body has the ability to make all the cholesterol it needs. Only animal foods that we eat like dairy products - whole milk, ice cream, and butter and beef, chicken, eggs, etc have cholesterol. Ingesting cholesterol from these sources will cause a rise in blood cholesterol levels, but in most cases it will be less than an equal rise, so it is best to eat smaller portions of animal foods.

Plants don't produce cholesterol, so if we eat fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and use fruit or vegetable oils to cook with, we do not receive cholesterol directly from these sources. However, saturated fat from plants or animals can be converted into cholesterol by the liver. So the eating of saturated fat is the real culprit. Plant products have a redeeming nature - in most cases they carry more heart-friendly fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated ('good fats') along with the saturated fats.

The main source of blood cholesterol is the liver. It wraps particles of cholesterol into protein sheaths. These are called LDL (low-density lipoprotein). LDLs are placed into the bloodstream and are delivered to cells that need them. HDL (high-density lipoproteins) particles are used to clean the arteries of the cholesterol that is not needed. If the supply of HDL particles is not large enough to keep the circulatory system free of loose cholesterol that is delivered by LDL particles, the LDL particles may combine with free radicals be oxidized and penetrate the artery-cell wall hastening hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and heart disease. The quantity of cholesterol in the blood at any one time is determined by the ratio of LDL levels to HDL levels. When your doctor does a lipids panel test on a sample of your blood, the results will show the total cholesterol, the LDL and HDL concentrations and your triglyceride level (other blood fats).

Some persons are genetically predisposed to high levels of blood cholesterol. If your father or paternal grandparents or mother or maternal grandparents died of heart disease - it is possible that you have inherited this risk factor and your levels of blood cholesterol are high because of it.

Otherwise, cholesterol accumulation in the blood comes from:

1) A diet of foods high in saturated fat and/or cholesterol

2) Lack of regular (aerobic) exercise

The easiest way to lower cholesterol is by regular aerobic exercise and keeping your weight down. Stay away from fatty, fast foods and eat a diet closer to nature - lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and small (4 ounce) cuts of meat (small portions of the animal foods that do contain cholesterol and saturated fat). You'll feel better and your heart and arteries will love you for it.

Tim Lazaro is a competitive, masters runner who writes on issues related to health, natural-food diets, and aerobic exercise. He employs the life-style changes and diets that he writes about. He has lowered his total cholesterol and lost weight using these cholesterol-lowering methods.

Download his Free guide here: waystoloweryourcholesterol.com/SqueezePages/FiveSecrets.html Lowering Cholesterol ebook.