What Is Cholesterol And How To Control It?

Introduction

Cholesterol is an interesting substance found in the human body. It is a fatty substance that is found in the blood. Too much can be unhealthy but to little can be bad for your health also. So where does cholesterol come from, what is it, and how to keep it in check?

Where Does Cholesterol Come From?

Cholesterol comes from the body and your diet. In your body it is manufactured and removed by the liver. On a daily bases, the liver will produce about 1,000 mg per day. This is about all you need to have a healthy body, but you can also get an excess amount from your diet.

Cholesterol can be found in animal products that you eat especially in saturated fats. Saturated fats including the man-made trans-fats can be found in red meat, oils, such as hydrogenated vegetable, coconut or palm oils.

A healthy intake of cholesterol should be less than 300 mg per day.

What Is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is divided into three different types LDL (low-density lipoproteins), HDL (high-density lipoproteins) and trigs (Triglycerides).

LDL - LDL is also sometimes referred to as the "bad cholesterol" because it can form plaque in your body's arteries. When this happens your arteries are restricted which can block blood flow to your heart.
HDL - HDL is called the good cholesterol because they carry cholesterol back to the liver where it is removed from the body.
Trigs - This is a fat in your body, which is also produced by your liver or received from your diet. These too can restrict blood flow in your arteries.

Cholesterol is important for your body because it helps the cell produce fluid cell walls and protects the cell. Fluid cell walls are important to the cell to allow nutrients to get in and wastes to be discharged.

How To Keep It In Check

Though cholesterol is good for the body to develop fluid cells, too much can lead to plaque build up in your arteries, leading to potential deadly heart problems. The healthy range for cholesterol is

Total Cholesterol - LDL - HDL - > 40 mg/dL and Trigs -

So how do you keep it in check? Some times people have high cholesterol levels due to genetics and must be controlled by medication. But if it is not genetic, then there is action you can take to reduce your cholesterol levels. These actions include:

Fats - Avoid saturated fats and use polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats instead. One of the best fats you can use is Omega-3 fat. Omega-3 fats have a number of health benefits.
Diet - Eat low-calorie and low-fat foods and increase your consumption of complex carbohydrates, and fiber.
Exercise - Get into the habit of performing a regular exercise routine.

Conclusion

Cholesterol is needed by the body to produce fluid cell walls, but too much may be harmful to your health. There are measures you can take to keep your cholesterol at healthy levels such as reducing your intake of saturated fats.

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