Cholesterol Cholesterol is essential for our bodies to work, so why are there so many health warnings about high cholesterol levels? Until a few years ago, many people didn’t know much about cholesterol, but with all the information around now (especially on the internet) people do know much more about how their cholesterol levels affect their lives. Do you know the old adage ‘that you are what you eat’? Remember all the time that what you eat can, and does, affect your cholesterol levels.
What Is Cholesterol & Do I Need It?
Without cholesterol your body wouldn't work: it's vital to ensure the body's normal function. Like specialised bricks, it forms part of the outer membrane that surrounds every cell. It both builds and repairs cells, it is used to produce sex hormones like oestrogen and testosterone, it is converted to bile acids to help you digest food and it is found in large amounts in brain and nerve tissue. It's also used to insulate nerve fibres, which carry chemical signals around the body.
Very simply defined, cholesterol is a fatty substance that occurs naturally in the blood, cell walls, and most body tissues. Cholesterol is made by the liver, and it enters the body via foods rich in saturated fat.
Food Sources Of Cholesterol
Cholesterol is found in animal fats. All food that contain animal fats contain cholesterol (although not always in great quanties). Food which does not containing animal fats contain little no cholesterol. Major dietary sources of cholesterol include eggs, beef and poultry, offal and shellfish.
Do You Want To Know What Your Cholesterol Level Is?
To find out your cholesterol level you will need to consult your doctor to run tests. A small sample of blood will be drawn from your arm and your blood sample is then sent to a laboratory to be analysed.
Knowing your cholesterol level on its own is not really enough to tell whether or not you have a risk of heart disease, you will need to find out what your Lipoprotein levels are.
Lipoproteins are special molecules which are especially designed to transport or carry cholesterol around the body. They are important because they control exactly how much cholesterol is in your body.
Lipoproteins
High Density Lipoproteins (HDL)
Around one-fourth to one-third of blood cholesterol is carried by high-density lipoprotein. HDL cholesterol is known as “good” cholesterol, because high levels of HDL seem to protect against heart attack. A low level of HDL however can also increase the risk of heart disease and strokes.
Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL)
When too much LDL (know as “bad” cholesterol) cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up within the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. Together with other substances it can form plaque, which is a thick, hard deposit that can clog the arteries. This condition is known medically as atherosclerosis. If supply exceeds demand, can cause harmful build-up of cholesterol.
What Cause High Cholesterol Levels?
Cholesterol levels can run in families. If the inherited cholesterol levels are very high, this is called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH).
Levels can also be influenced by which part of the world you live in. Cholesterol levels in northern European countries are higher than in southern Europe and much higher than in Asia.
It is known that the relationship to food is significant, but there is no doubt that genes also play a part. High cholesterol is also seen in connection with diseases, such as kidney diseases and diabetes and with alcohol abuse.
