How Well Do You Understand Cholesterol?

[guia]

Cholesterol is much maligned, yet many people don’t understand this essential substance and how it works in our bodies. Do you know your HDL from your LDL? How about which lifestyle choices influence cholesterol levels?

do you think is true or false ?

 

[loveofpari]

I have heard the word cholestrol in different places and media. In different advertisement of cooking oil they mention that its cholestrol free. But i still don't understand what they mean and whats the advantages and disadvantages of cholestrol.

 

[ladyness]

Cholesterol, a waxy substance produced by the liver and found in certain foods, is needed to make vitamin D and some hormones, build cell walls, and create bile salts that help you digest fat. Actually, your liver produces about 1,000 milligrams of cholesterol a day, enough cholesterol so that if you never touched another cheese fry, you'd be OK. But it's hard to avoid cholesterol entirely because so many foods contain it.
Too much cholesterol in the body can lead to serious problems like heart disease. Many factors can contribute to high cholesterol, but the good news is there are things you can do to control them.

 

[beyond2secrecy]

cholesterol a steroid that plays an important part in metabolism and it is needed to make cell membranes. but too much cholesterol can put you at much higher risk for many problems, including heart attack and stroke.

 

[supahmanross9]

Too much of everything is bad. Yes we need a certain amount or level of cholesterol in our body, but there is also what we call bad cholesterol and that is something we should eliminate from our bodies.


LDL (Bad) Cholesterol
When too much LDL (bad) cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. Together with other substances, it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the arteries and make them less flexible. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. If a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, heart attack or stroke can result.

HDL (Good) Cholesterol
About one-fourth to one-third of blood cholesterol is carried by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL cholesterol is known as "good" cholesterol, because high levels of HDL seem to protect against heart attack. Low levels of HDL (less than 40 mg/dL) also increase the risk of heart disease. Medical experts think that HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it's passed from the body. Some experts believe that HDL removes excess cholesterol from arterial plaque, slowing its buildup.

 

[sommerlive]

I have heard that too much cholesterol is bad. The most serious risk when your cholesterol is too high is to your heart.
Cholesterol can clog arteries and cause problems that make your heart less efficient and leave you at risk for heart disease.