What Is Cholesterol?
It is necessary to understand what is cholesterol, as it has a significant impact on our health.
Definition
Cholesterol is waxy, fat-like substance made in the body by the person’s own liver serves a number of vital functions. It is also found in animal foods such as beef, butter and whole-fat dairy products and in coconut oil, palm oil and hydrogenated oils used in processed foods.
Cholesterol is one of the major substances that cause heart attacks, high blood cholesterol levels, and weight problems. Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels can greatly reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
What makes cholesterol so important? It gives your body the ability to repair cell membranes, creates vitamin D and helps to produce necessary hormones.
Types of Cholesterol
Basically, there are two types of cholesterol:
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the Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), which is usually referred to the bad cholesterol that is known to clog the person’s blood vessels, thus, increasing the risk for a heart attack or a heart disease. Studies show that a diet that is high in saturated fat is a main dietary cause of a raised LDL cholesterol level.
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the High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), which is the good cholesterol that helps clear LDL cholesterol out of the blood stream, thus, reducing the risk for any heart illness. Researches have shown that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables along with average levels of omega-3 from fish oil greatly helps raise HDL cholesterol levels.
Although diet is the major reason for having high cholesterol levels, experts agree that factors such as:
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genetics,
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lack of exercise or regular physical activity,
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obesity,
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unhealthy lifestyle such as excessive drinking and smoking,
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hormones,
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varying high and low cholesterol levels,
can trigger the sudden increase of cholesterol levels in the body.
Learn further:
What are normal cholesterol levels?
Natural ways to lower cholesterol
Tips on food to lower cholesterol
List of foods that lower cholesterol
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