The Facts About Cholesterol

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 thatand 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: onlyCholesterol 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 bloodLDL (Bad) Cholesterol
cholesterol is risky for our heart and that weWhen too much LDL (bad) cholesterol circulates in
should watch out for cholesterol in our diet, thethe blood, it can slowly build up in the inner walls
majority (2/3) of the cholesterol found in ourof 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, weplaque, a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the
discovered recently that if you eat less, your liverarteries 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 cholesterolor stroke can result.
level? First and foremost by eating less saturatedHDL (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 fromcholesterol is known as "good" cholesterol,
2 sources:because high levels of HDL seem to protect
First Source: liver - two-thirds of the cholesterolagainst 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 cholesterolthink that HDL tends to carry cholesterol away
comes from foods, like:from the arteries and back to the liver, where it's
- Meatpassed from the body.
- Egg yolkEating cholesterol is very much like choosing how
- Dairy productto 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 cellrisk of cardiovascular disease significantly.