Cholesterol
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty, waxy substance that is mainly produced by our lover. Eating too much SATURATED FAT in our diet contributes to high blood cholesterol. Most saturated fats come from the ANIMAL products we eat such as: butter, processed meat (hot dog, sausage), red meats (beef, mutton), chicken skin, whole milk and cheese.
Trans fatty acids (trans fats) also result in high cholesterol and are found in pies, pastries, biscuits and cakes.
What does cholesterol do?
Cholesterol is important for our body to function properly. However, TOO MUCH cholesterol in your blood can gather up in your artery walls, causing narrowing of the arteries which leads to ---> CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE.
Cholesterol Ratio - Good Guy Bad Guy
Since cholesterol is waxy, it cant mix with blood like oil and water. To enter the cells it attach to proteins called as lipoproteins. Hence, its important to have a good cholesterol ratio where u have more good guys (HDL Cholesterol) and less bad guys (LDL Cholesterol).
Why?
- High Density Lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) is the GOOD guy as it helps remove cholesterol AWAY from artery walls --> REDUCING risk of heart disease.
- Low Density Lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) is the BAD guy as it carry cholesterol TO the artery walls. --> INCREASING risk of heart disease.
There is also another type of cholesterol called Triglycerides (TG) that is the most common form of fat in our body. Excess energy is normally stored in this form. High levels of TG are associated with heart disease.
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