I am getting very health conscious these days after my recent medical checkup. I will publish more information on health issues gathered from internet, magazines, newspapers etc. Today’s health topic is still on Cholesterol.
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For decades, news stories and TV ads have hammered it into our heads: Cholesterol is bad for you. (Got the message yet?)
High cholesterol levels lead to clogged arteries in a process called atherosclerosis. Lowering cholesterol lowers the risk of diseases caused by atherosclerosis, like heart attacks and strokes.
What makes cholesterol so bad for your arteries? And isn't there a "good" cholesterol? How does treating high cholesterol help?
In cholesterol and atherosclerosis, there are good guys and bad guys:
"Bad" cholesterol, also called low-density lipoprotein (LDL), has chemical properties that can damage arteries. Damaged areas allow more LDL to penetrate artery walls. The LDL gets stuck and accumulates in the artery's wall.
(Warning: chemistry lesson ahead!) Inside the artery wall, free radicals transform LDL from something bad to something worse: oxidized LDL. The cholesterol chemical spill attracts white blood cells and other cells to try to clean up the mess. The cells chew up and digest oxidized LDL.
Once begun, this whole process tends to continue. Over years, the deposit of "bad" cholesterol, cells, and debris grows larger, and it's called a plaque.
"Good" cholesterol, known as high-density lipoprotein (HDL), is the yin to LDL's yang. HDL is on your side: it circulates through your body, acting like a cholesterol magnet. HDL diverts and delivers cholesterol away from your arteries. Much of the cholesterol is either eliminated from the body, delivered to tissues such as the liver, or used to make hormones.
As cholesterol plaques form and grow inside arteries, they eventually can begin to block off blood flow. Here's where atherosclerosis gets ugly.
The LDL-rich center of the plaque can be stable, meaning it grows in a slow, controlled way. The plaque may eventually cause symptoms, but generally speaking, the body adapts. These blockages seldom cause heart attacks.
Plaques can instead be unstable. Remember the cells inside the plaque, digesting all the LDL? As they work, these cells release enzymes that dissolve some of the biological "duct tape" (collagen) holding the plaque together.
Unstable plaques are prone to tearing. If they rupture, they release material that causes a blood clot to form inside the artery. Within minutes, blood flow is cut off. The result: a heart attack or stroke.
Cholesterol Treatment: Down With the Bad, Up With the Good
The link between cholesterol and atherosclerosis led to treatments to improve cholesterol levels. Numerous medications, and changes in lifestyle, can improve cholesterol and reduce atherosclerosis.
Exercise with or without weight loss increases "good" HDL cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
A diet high in fiber and reduced fats can lower "bad" LDL cholesterol. Plant-derived stanols used as fat substitutes also help lower cholesterol.
Statins are the most-often prescribed medicines for high cholesterol. Statins can dramatically lower "bad" LDL cholesterol, by up to 60% or more. They can also increase HDL modestly. In studies, statins reduce the rates of heart attacks, strokes, and death from atherosclerosis.
Prevention
Adoption of a healthier lifestyle, including aerobic exercise and a low-fat diet, should reduce the prevalence of obesity, high cholesterol, and, ultimately, the risk of coronary heart disease.
First, see your doctor. A simple blood test checks for high cholesterol. You may be asked to fast overnight before the test. Just knowing your total cholesterol level isn't enough. A complete lipid profile measures your LDL, total cholesterol, HDL (the good cholesterol), and triglycerides. The guidelines say healthy adults should have this analysis every 5 years.
Strive for daily intake of less than 7% of your calories from saturated fat and less than 200 mg of cholesterol from the food you eat.
You may eat up to 30% of your calories from total fat, but most should be from unsaturated fat, which doesn't raise cholesterol levels.
Add more soluble fiber (found in cereal grains, beans, peas, and many fruits and vegetables) and foods that contain plant stanols and sterols (included in certain margarines and salad dressings) to boost your LDL-lowering power. The best way to know what's in the foods you eat is to read the nutrition label.
Lower cholesterol levels start at the grocery store. Read food labels, and buy foods low in saturated fat and low in cholesterol. To help you know what to look for when grocery shopping, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has a partial shopping list for you.
* Breads - Whole wheat, rye, pumpernickel, or white
* Soft tortillas - Corn or whole wheat
* Hot and cold cereals - Except granola or muesli
* Rice - White, brown, wild, basmati, or jasmine
* Grains - Bulgur, couscous, quinoa, barley, hominy, or millet
* Fruits - Any fresh, canned, dried, or frozen without added sugar
* Vegetables - Any fresh, frozen, or (low-salt) canned without cream or cheese sauce
* Fresh or frozen juices without added sugar
* Fat-free or 1% milk
* Cheese with 3 grams of fat or less per serving
* Low-fat or nonfat yogurt
* Lean cuts of meat - Eye of round beef, top round, sirloin, or pork tenderloin
* Lean or extra lean ground beef
* Chicken or turkey - White or light meat, skin removed
* Fish - Most white meat fish is very low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
* Tuna - Light meat canned in water
* Peanut butter, reduced fat
* Eggs, egg whites, egg substitutes
* Low-fat cookies or angel food cake
* Low-fat frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet
* Popcorn without butter or oil, pretzels, baked tortilla chips
* Margarine - Soft, diet, tub, or liquid
* Vegetable oil - Canola, olive, corn, peanut, or sunflower
* Nonstick cooking spray
* Sparkling water, tea, lemonade
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