You’ve all heard it before. Probably more times than you want to think about. “Your cholesterol is too high!” or “Mr Jenkins, we’ve got to do something about your cholesterol level!” Sometimes it seems that doctors are more concerned about controlling cholesterol than fixing the ailment that we came to see them about.
Well, as it happens, your doctor really is looking out for you. Controlling cholesterol is one of the things that you can do for yourself that will add years to your life.
Natural cholesterol is made in your liver. It can also be absorbed from the cell membranes of high cholesterol foods that you eat (beef, pork, fish, etc.). Your body uses it for a number of things, but, for this discussion, we’ll skip all of the medical mumbo-jumbo and just state, without refute, that cholesterol acts like the mortar in a brick building, holding all of your body’s cells together.
Another important use is in making bile acids, necessary for proper digestion.
Of course, there are many other uses for cholesterol in your body, but for you to understand why controlling cholesterol is so important, you need only remember these two.
OKAY…cholesterol is transported from your liver to the cells of your body by low density lipoproteins (aka: LDL) through your blood stream. When a cell is in need of additional cholesterol, the LDL deposits the required amount. If a cell already has enough, it simply says “No, thanks” and the LDL moves along.
The problems arise when too many of your cells “refuse delivery”. The LDL will then deposit it’s cholesterol on your artery walls, where it sticks and remains. Over time, this build-up can begin to reduce blood flow through the artery and “starve” the cells of vital organs of life giving blood (especially your heart).
To counter this, your body also produces high density lipoproteins (aka: HDL, or good cholesterol). HDL travels through your body “sucking up” excess LDL cholesterol and returning it to your liver, where it’s converted to bile acid and dumped into your intestines, where it’s used for proper digestion.
As you might imagine, this makes for a delicate balance. If your LDL is too high, or, your HDL too low, the build-up of plaque in your arteries can continue unabated. That’s why many doctors say that, while your overall cholesterol count is important, The ratio of LDL to HDL can be even more so.
It’s important to note that the amount of cholesterol that your liver produces is controlled by genetics. Normally, all you will ever need is supplied here. In cases where your liver is producing too much LDL cholesterol, medication is often required to regain a proper balance.
And that, dear Reader, brings us to the matter of diet. What you choose to eat (or, not eat) can go further in controlling cholesterol that anything else that you can do. Any food that lists saturated fat on it’s label will raise your LDL cholesterol level (you can’t get HDL from your diet).
I hate to say it, but this includes most meat and animal products. Even the most lean cuts of meat contain the type of fats that you don’t want. Beef…chicken…pork: All Guilty!
Chicken eggs and dairy products (milk, butter, etc.) also fall into this category, as do shell fish (shrimp, lobster, etc).
Limiting (or, better yet, eliminating) these types of foods is vital in controlling cholesterol. Nothing you can do will be more effective!
But, you don’t have to starve yourself! Just replace this bad food with foods that contain monounsaturated fats and essential fatty acids. Fish, except for shell fish, and vegetables are your best bet.
And, it’s OK to have some meat products, just try to keep it to 10 percent, or less, of your total caloric consumption.
Controlling cholesterol is really not that hard. This is a very simplistic overview, I’ll admit, but, understanding why your overall cholesterol level (and, LDL/HDL ratio) is so important, and doing something with the knowledge, can add years to your life!
