Posts Tagged ‘ldl’

Contrary to popular belief, the liver creates most cholesterol and only a small percentage is acquired through food. However, the more saturated fat a person eats, the more cholesterol his or her body makes.
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that forms a part of each cell in your body. A persons body needs cholesterol for daily functions, such as making hormones, producing healthy cell walls and making vitamin D. It also produces bile acids that help in digestion.
Although this waxy substance helps your body in a number of ways, excess production of cholesterol can also be risky to your body and to your heart. When this happens, the extra cholesterol spills out and circulates into your bloodstream. Be aware that excessive levels of cholesterol in a persons blood can causes clogging of blood vessels, while elevating the risk of stroke and heart disease.
Food Based Cholesterol
Cholesterol comes from animal-based foods like dairy products, eggs and meat. The two types of cholesterol are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL is the bad cholesterol that usually cause the clogging of blood vessels, while HDL is the good cholesterol that is responsible for clearing LDL out of your bloodstream, reducing the risks of heart disease.
The Connection Between Fat and Cholesterol
Saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are the three types of fats found in food. Each type of dietary fat affects a persons blood cholesterol in different ways.
Saturated fats are those found in lamb, pork, beef and other red meat products. Excessive saturated fats in the body can be dangerous to your health because the more saturated fats you eat, the more cholesterol your body produces, which eventually will end up in your bloodstream. Consuming too much saturated fat in the diet is the main cause of excess cholesterol levels in the blood.
Monounsaturated fats are those found in plant oils, such as canola, peanut and olive. Polyunsaturated fats, such as omega-3 fatty acid, can help to slow down blood clot formation and fight heart disease. They are found in fishes and plant oils, such as soybean, corn, safflower and sunflower.
Eating any fat will contribute to weight gain, but in lowering blood cholesterol, substituting saturated fats with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats will help get rid of newly formed cholesterol in the body. For this reason, people with elevated levels of blood cholesterol need to improve their eating habits to ensure that the right kind of fat enters their bodies.
Bad Cholesterol Can Cause Death Later In Life
In our junk food society we are on the brink of complete disaster because of unhealthy eating. More children today are considered obese and this is a direct result of the eating habits taught to them at an early age. Bad cholesterol rates are rising among the youth of today. We are even seeing cases of coronary heart disease in people in their early 30’s. This must be because the foods we are eating today have high levels of LDL cholesterol and saturated fat.
There are two things you should do to prevent the build up of bad cholesterol in your body: Change your diet, and exercise daily.
So what types of food are good for lowering cholesterol levels in the blood? Foods high in antioxidants and fiber are the types of foods you should be looking for. These include fruit and vegetables, whole grains and similar things. Stay away from foods that are considered fatty. Remember to eat mono- and polyunsaturated fats if you eat fat at all. Most fast food restaurants cook their meals using an alarming amount of oil. Yes I know, it does taste great, but so do bananas, grapes and pears. Maybe next time you having a craving for a nice juicy hamburger, why not go down to the local farmer’s market instead and pick out a new exotic fruit that you have never tried before. You might be surprised!
To find out if you have a excessive level of bad cholesterol in your blood, you should make an appointment with your doctor to be tested. It only takes a couple of minutes and you never know, it might save your life!
As a nation, if we are ever going to get out of our fast food, sugar loving mindset, we need to start with our children. Some schools today who are putting in place new healthier menus in their cafeterias. Is there more that could be done though? Children learn from watching adults, so starting to develop good eating habits will be good for you and your children.
Perhaps the ideal place to start is with the parents and guardians who need to set the example for their kids. There are any number of families out there who practically live off French fries and hamburgers. If those families could reduce the number of times they visit a fast food restaurant by one time in a week, then we will go a long way to reduce the rapidly escalating rate of bad cholesterol in the people of our country.

Cholesterol has become one of the biggest health concerns for industrial and post-industrial nations in today’s world.

You can’t seem to go a single day without seeing some ad or article warning of cholesterol’s potential to damage the circulatory system. However, cholesterol as a whole is rarely clearly defined.

Cholesterol is a lipid, which basically means that it’s form of fat, and it is necessary to every living thing on our planet.

Even plants have trace amounts of cholesterol contained in cell membranes.

Cholesterol is necessary to the formation of cellular membranes and many hormones the body needs to run properly.

Because it is so widely used to build cells, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and growing children all need to ingest a decent amount of cholesterol every day.

However, most cholesterol is synthesized by the body from other fats we take in, and any balanced, healthy diet contains more than enough for any human being.Any living body, from a cell to a full-grown human, is a process in continual motion. As a part of that process, cholesterol must be kept in balance.

Enough must be ingested and synthesized to keep bodily functions going, and enough must be excreted from the body to keep from growing “plaques” of cholesterol on the inside of blood vessels.

Industrial and post-industrial cultures usually have a problem with keeping cholesterol levels from growing too high, rather than suffering from an insufficient amount.

Because cholesterol is synthesized within the body, dietary changes may not be enough to keep cholesterol levels under control, which is why cholesterol-lowering medications can be a viable therapy for some people.

If a given person’s system naturally produces high levels of cholesterol no matter how little cholesterol he or she eats, medication helps curtail the over-production.However, cholesterol medication should never be used to justify a poor diet or unhealthy lifestyle.

Many people think of their cholesterol in terms of HDL and LDL cholesterol. While useful as a shortcut, this is actually inaccurate.

Both HDL and LDL are forms of lipoproteins.

In other words, they are systems of protein chains that carry cholesterol along with them. Cholesterol does not dissolve in blood, so these lipoprotein “baskets” are necessary to convey cholesterol through the bloodstream.

Without HDL and LDL, cholesterol would quickly clump up in any given blood vessel, block it off and create massive systemic problems.In speaking of cholesterol, as with anything else in the human body, it’s a balancing game.

The body is a marvel of engineering and produces nothing unnecessary to life.

Cholesterol is not the enemy, it does not deserve the level of stress and fear that it’s been stamped with, it’s a fat molecule.

An overdose of cholesterol can kill just as surely as an overdose of oxygen or water.

However, if you have a problem with high cholesterol levels, applied education is the best weapon you have, so research everything, decide on the therapy best for you, and then hopefully enjoy your long life!

Cholesterol levels are being tested all over the world in order to determine risk factors for heart disease, yet  many people are confused by their cholesterol numbers and how they are expressed.  Part of this confusion may stem from the fact that literature originating in the United States gives cholesterol levels in units that are different from those used in Canada, Europe, and a good portion of the rest of the developed world.  So when you are looking for information to help you understand your test results, on the internet and elsewhere, you might not  understand the numbers that are reported in the American literature because they might look quite different from the cholesterol numbers on your lab report.

The United States reports cholesterol levels in mg/dL (milligrams per decilitre) of blood.  The rest of the world is using the measurement called mmol (or millimoles per litre).  Without going back to basic chemistry from high school, let’s just say  that they are different measurements. So is it any wonder that these two ways of expressing your cholesterol numbers are so different?

Here is how the two different systems of measurement stack up for desirable cholesterol numbers.

As expressed in the system of measurement used in the United States

However, as expressed in the SI units (International System of Measurement) that most of the world is using the numbers are stated differently. (You can remember which letters refer to the good and the bad stuff by remembering it this  way…H stands for healthy  and L stands for lousy.)

Can you see the difference in how the cholesterol numbers are expressed?  The difference of course is in the units that are being measured. Think of it like metric and imperial measures. Your weight in pounds might be a three digit number but in kilograms it could be a two digit number. Same weight different measurements.

Understanding the Cholesterol Ratio

When used to determine if you have cholesterol risk factors for heart disease it is not the specific levels that are analyzed but rather the ratio of HDL in your total lipid profile. This number is called the cholesterol ratio and it gives an indication of how much of your total cholesterol is the “good” stuff.

The reason this is important is because the HDL is so beneficial, if it is present is sufficient quantities it  has a protective effect and  the LDL in your system cannot do as much damage.  So even if your LDL is higher than the desired levels, if the HDL is high as well and the ratio comes within the desired range then the risk of heart disease is less.

The goal is to keep the cholesterol ratio below 5:1; the optimum ratio is 3.5. The cholesterol ratio comes in at the same number no matter which system of measurement is used. The cholesterol ratio is obtained by dividing the total cholesterol number by the value given for the HDL. For example, if a you have a total cholesterol of 240 mg/dL and an HDL of 60 mg/dL,  the ratio is 4. Using the SI system of measurement if the total cholesterol is 7.20 mmol/L and the HDL is 1.8 mmol/L  the ratio is still 4.

You can see how this is a better way of understanding the cholesterol risk factors for heart disease and expressing it this way can prevent confusion that might result from not being familiar with the units that are used. This information is also helpful for understanding why the strategies recommended  for cholesterol imbalances work. Some of the best strategies are the ones that raise the HDL levels.  In particular, exercise has been found to be one of the best ways to improve the cholesterol ratio because it raises HDL levels.  By contrast smoking has been found to lower HDL levels so no exercise and smoking is a recipe for low HDL levels, a poor cholesterol ratio, and a higher risk for heart disease.

Cholesterol is found in every cell of the body and is essential for the maintenance of good health.  Low cholesterol levels have been associated with poor health so the goal is not to eliminate or reduce cholesterol entirely but to obtain the desirable levels of each type so that the protective benefits of the HDL can work for you in maintaining good health.

So don’t get mixed up when trying to understand your cholesterol levels.  No matter what way the numbers are expressed the message is the same.  You want to have enough of the good stuff and not so much of the bad stuff in order to reduce your risk factors for heart disease.

Cholesterol levels are being tested as part of regular health screening all over the world yet many people are confused by their cholesterol numbers and how they are expressed. Part of this confusion may stem from the fact that most of the cholesterol literature is coming from the United States where they still report cholesterol levels in units that are different from those used in Canada, Europe and a good portion of the rest of the developed world. So if you are looking for information to help you understand your cholesterol test results you might not be able to understand the numbers that are reported in the American literature, that includes the internet.
The United States reports cholesterol levels in mg/dl (milligrams per decilitre) of blood. The rest of the world is using the measurement called mmol (or millimoles per litre). Without going back to basic chemistry from high school, suffice it to say that they are different measurements. So is it any wonder that these two ways of expressing your cholesterol numbers are so different?
Here is how the two different systems of measurement stack up for desirable cholesterol levels.
* Total cholesterol = less than 200 mg/dL
* LDL = less than 100-129 mg/dL (below 100 is best)
* HDL = more than 40 mg/dL (greater than 60 is considered protective against heart disease)
However, as expressed in the SI units (International System of Measurement) that most of the world is using the numbers are stated differently. (You can remember which letters refer to healthy and lousy by remembering it this way…H stands for healthy lipoprotein and L stands for lousy lipoprotein.)
* Total cholesterol = less than 5.2 mmol/L
* LDL = in the range of than 2.6 – 3.3 mmol/L (less than 2.6 is best)
* HDL = in the range of more than 1 to 1.5 mmol/L (higher is better) mmol/L
Can you see the difference in how the cholesterol numbers are expressed? The difference of course is in the units that are being measured.
Think of it like metric and imperial measures. Your weight in pounds might be a three digit number but in kilograms it could be a two digit number. Same weight different measurements.
When used to determine risk of heart disease it is not the specific cholesterol levels that are analyzed but rather the ratio of HDL in your total lipid profile. This number is called the cholesterol ratio and it gives an indication of how much of your total cholesterol is the “good stuff”.
The reason that the ratio is important is because the HDL (good stuff) is so beneficial that it can protect you from the effects of the LDL if it is in your body in sufficient quantities. So even if your LDL is higher that desirable levels, if the HDL is high as well, if the ratio comes within the desired range then the risk to your health is less.
The goal is to keep the cholesterol ratio below 5:1; the optimum ratio is 3.5. The cholesterol ratio comes in at the same number no matter which system of measurement is used to express the specific cholesterol levels.
The cholesterol ratio is obtained by dividing the total cholesterol number by the value given for the HDL. For example, if a person has a total cholesterol of 240 mg/dL and an HDL of 60 mg/dL, the ratio would be 4.
Using the SI system of measurement if the total cholesterol is 7.20 mmol/L and the HDL is 1.8 mmol/L the ratio is still 4.
You can see how this is a better way of understanding risk and prevents confusion that might result from not being familiar with the units that are used to express cholesterol levels.
This information is also helpful for understanding why the strategies why the for cholesterol imbalances work. Some of the best strategies are the ones that raise the HDL levels. In particular, exercise has been found to be one of the best ways to improve the cholesterol ratio because it raises HDL levels. By contrast smoking has been found to lower HDL levels so no exercise and smoking is a recipe for low HDL levels, a poor cholesterol ratio, and a higher risk of heart disease.
Cholesterol is found in every cell of the body and is essential for the maintenance of good health. Low cholesterol levels have been associated with poor health so the goal is not to eliminate or reduce cholesterol entirely but to establish the desirable levels of each type of cholesterol so that the protective benefits of the HDL can work for you in maintaining good health.
So don’t get mixed up when trying to understand you cholesterol levels. No matter what way the numbers are expressed the message is the same. You want to have enough of the good stuff and not so much of the bad stuff!

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Many people that have been diagnosed with high cholesterol are looking for alternative treatments that can lower their cholesterol naturally rather than go the traditional pharmaceutical route. A change in diet and adding an exercise routine are all good ways to take cholesterol treatment into your own hands. There is another alternative you may want to look into as well. It is a cholesterol sterol drink that contains plant sterols and stanols that can be an added tool along with diet and lifestyle changes to help lower cholesterol naturally.

The Effects of Sterols in Lowering Cholesterol

Plant sterols can be found in many foods you eat, but eating enough of them to get the desired amount of plant sterols to lower your cholesterol can be hard. It is said that it would take some one hundred pounds of fruit and nuts in order to get the 2 grams of sterols needed to effectively lower cholesterol daily.

Plant sterols work by inhibiting cholesterol absorption when the cholesterol reaches the small intestine. Consuming two grams of sterols daily can lower bad cholesterol or LDL levels by at least 10%. Finding a cholesterol sterol drink to help you get the proper amount of effective ingredients can be a great way to get beneficial treatment in your fight against high cholesterol.

The Delivery is another Key Factor

Plant sterols were first introduced into fat soluble foods to make solubility better incorporated with PS esters. It was first found in such products as margarine, low fat milk and yogurt. Researchers now believe that taking plant sterols at a particular time is more important than what they are contained in. The optimal time to consume a cholesterol sterol drink is during mealtimes, with food, rather than snacking or drinking it between meals. Drinking a beverage that contains plant sterols along with your meal instead of sipping on water, milk, juice or soda can be an effective way to deliver the desirable effects.

Though you can still reap benefits of taking plant sterols between meals, blind studies showed that there was a 10% reduction of LDL cholesterol when a sterol drink was added at mealtime and just 7.5% reduction when taken between meals either in a liquid or solid form.

Where Can I Find Sterol Drinks?

Any visit to a natural market or health food store will have a supply of plant sterol enriched foods and drinks. When you shop online you will have access to a vast variety of drinks that will be loaded with not only plant sterols but other healthy ingredients that will target lowering your cholesterol naturally. You can find great deals and easily comparison shop when you look to purchase plant sterol drinks on the internet.

One great product is Pulsate Plus. It is a tasty drink that can be sipped along with your healthy meal to help you to lower your cholesterol without any ill effects. Pulsate Plus along with many other natural cholesterol remedies can be found on the internet at prices you can well afford for your good health.