Cholesterol is a fatty acid that is naturally found in the brain, nerves, liver, blood, and bile and is needed to build cell membranes, insulate nerves, and produce vitamin D, hormones, and bile acids for digestion. It even helps to protect against oxidative stress when the vitamin and mineral stores of your body are low. However, cholesterol seems to have got a bad name. The truth is that cholesterol is so crucial that each and every cell in our body is equipped with the means to synthesize its own membrane cholesterol, so as to regulate the fluidity of the membranes when they get too loose or too stiff. Cholesterol is also necessary for hormone production.
The steroid hormones, namely estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are manufactured from cholesterol. In addition, the adrenal corticosteroid hormones, which regulate the water balance of the body through the kidneys, keep inflammatory processes in check, and control our stress responses, all come from cholesterol. Normally, the liver makes all the cholesterol that our body needs. But sometimes, because of our poor dietary habits and sedentary lifestyle, we produce way too much cholesterol. This can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and cerebrovascular stroke. Also, some people are genetically predisposed to have high cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol travels in the bloodstream in the form of fat and protein complexes that are called lipoproteins. The risk of cardiovascular disease can be assessed by measuring the level of total cholesterol as well as the levels of the different lipoproteins in the blood. The total cholesterol is one of the most important measures of a lipid profile test. Cholesterol is measured in terms of milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood. A total cholesterol value of less than 200 mg/dL is indicative of a lower risk of heart disease. A value that ranges between 200 and 239 mg/dL is said to be borderline high, whereas any figure above 240 mg/dL is considered to be high.
High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is also referred to as 'good cholesterol' because it helps to get rid of the 'bad' cholesterol, namely low density lipoproteins (LDL), very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), and triglycerides. This includes the dreaded fat that gets deposited on the inside of blood vessels, thereby blocking the flow of blood. These blockages are the main cause of heart attacks. So, remember that when it comes to HDL cholesterol, higher can sometimes mean healthier. An HDL cholesterol value of less than 40 is low, and a value of 60 or more is considered as a 'negative' risk factor. LDL cholesterol is known to haul the cholesterol from the liver to all cells in the body.
When it comes to LDL cholesterol, a value that is less than 100 is optimal, 100 to 129 is near or above optimal, 130 to 159 is borderline high, 160 to 189 is high, and 190 or more is very high. As a thumbrule, you should try to raise your HDL and lower your LDL cholesterol levels. Triglycerides make up most of the body's fat, and are used by the body to provide instant energy. Fats from seeds, egg yolk, and other animal sources mainly consist of triglycerides. Although these may not be as harmful as LDL, an excess of triglycerides id known to increase the risk to heart disease because they can get oxidized and thereby damage the lining of the arteries or induce blood clot formation.
A value less than 100 is optimal for triglycerides. While a figure below 200 is considered to be normal, that between 200 and 400 is borderline high, and any value above 400 is high. When a person has a high level of triglycerides and a low level of HDL, the risk of suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney failure, and many other degenerative diseases is much higher. In fact, a triglyceride-to-HDL ratio of less than 2 is considered to be good. If you want to lower your triglyceride level, reduce your intake of carbohydrates, especially sugary and starchy foods and increase your consumption of high-quality fish oil products.
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