What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a type of waxy fat that circulates in your blood.
Cholesterol comes from two sources:
1:- Your body makes some cholesterol on its own, regardless of what you eat.
2:-Cholesterol also comes from the foods you eat. Cholesterol is found only in animal products. Foods from plants do not contain cholesterol.
Cholesterol is essential to life. Cholesterol is the primary component in the make up of all cells,
it helps develop the membranes.
Cholesterol is made or synthesized into hormones, and vitamin D for the body.
Cholesterol is also a source of energy for you body.
How does cholesterol travel in the blood?
Cholesterol can't travel in the blood on its own.
It's carried by special proteins called lipoproteins.
Low-density lipoproteins (LDLs, or "bad" cholesterol)
High-density lipoproteins (HDLs, or "good)
Think of LDLs as delivery trucks .
HDLs as garbage trucks.
LDLs pick up cholesterol from the liver and deliver it to cells.
HDLs remove excess cholesterol from the blood and take it to the liver.
A person's total cholesterol level is a combination of LDL and HDL cholesterol
Less than 200 mg/dL: Desirable
200 239 mg/dL: Borderline-High Risk
240 mg/dL and over: High Risk
An HDL cholesterol of 60 mg/dL or higher gives some protection against heart disease.
LDL Cholesterol Levels Less than 100 mg/dLOptimal.100 to 129 mg/dLNear Optimal/ Above Optimal-130 to 159 mg/dLBorderline High-160 to 189 mg/dLHigh-190 mg/dL and aboveVery High
What's so bad about cholesterol? Your body produces more than enough cholesterol on its own to stay healthy.
eating far too much cholesterol and fat, can raise blood cholesterol levels.
High levels of cholesterol can lead to heart disease.
Excess LDL in blood gets deposited in artries,the blood vessel that feed the heart and brain.
These deposits can join with other substances to form plaque.
Plaque is a thick hard deposit in the blood vessel...