| Cholesterol is: | | | | membranes, your brain, and nerves). |
| - A fat-like substance found only in animal food. | | | | - Is needed to produce estrogen, testosterone, |
| - A tasteless, odorless, and transparent liquid that | | | | and vitamin D. |
| feels oily when you touch it. | | | | - Cannot be used for energy (so it provides no |
| Any non-animal food (plants, fruits, vegetable, | | | | calories). |
| beans, or nuts) will not contain cholesterol: only | | | | Cholesterol is not as bad as we often assume it |
| animals can produce it. | | | | is. There are actually two types of cholesterol: |
| Although we've been told that high blood | | | | LDL (Bad) Cholesterol |
| cholesterol is risky for our heart and that we | | | | When too much LDL (bad) cholesterol circulates in |
| should watch out for cholesterol in our diet, the | | | | the blood, it can slowly build up in the inner walls |
| majority (2/3) of the cholesterol found in our | | | | of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. |
| blood is made by the liver. | | | | Together with other substances, it can form |
| The rest (1/3) does come from the diet. Still, we | | | | plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the |
| discovered recently that if you eat less, your liver | | | | arteries and make them less flexible. If a clot |
| might adjust and make more. | | | | forms and blocks a narrowed artery, heart attack |
| So, how do you lower your blood cholesterol | | | | or stroke can result. |
| level? First and foremost by eating less saturated | | | | HDL (Good) Cholesterol |
| and trans fat. | | | | About one-fourth to one-third of blood cholesterol |
| In short: | | | | is carried by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL |
| The cholesterol found in your blood comes from | | | | cholesterol is known as "good" cholesterol, |
| 2 sources: | | | | because high levels of HDL seem to protect |
| First Source: liver - two-thirds of the cholesterol | | | | against heart attack. Low levels of HDL also |
| available to the body. | | | | increase the risk of heart disease. Medical experts |
| Second Source: one-third of the cholesterol | | | | think that HDL tends to carry cholesterol away |
| comes from foods, like: | | | | from the arteries and back to the liver, where it's |
| - Meat | | | | passed from the body. |
| - Egg yolk | | | | Eating cholesterol is very much like choosing how |
| - Dairy product | | | | to eat fats: there is a good and a bad. Keep bad |
| Cholesterol: | | | | cholesterol at a minimum and you will reduce your |
| - Is found in every cell of your body (in cell | | | | risk of cardiovascular disease significantly. |