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 Cholesterol has gotten a lot of bad publicity as of late. It has been related to such negative terms as heart-disease and other heart related ailments. This ultimately has left cholesterol out in the cold. Now I am not saying that it doesn’t deserve it but not all cholesterol is actually bad for you. There are actually some types of cholesterol that your body needs to function.
So what is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a substance that attaches itself to the lipids or fats that can usually be found in our blood. The interesting part of that is that despite cholesterol being a constant factor in our blood, it cannot be dissolved into it, keeping it separate.
It can best be described as what oil does in water, it does not dissolve within it because of its chemical makeup. Having too little cholesterol in your blood or too much cholesterol in your blood could be potentially harmful to your body and should be monitored. There are ultimately 2 different types of cholesterol. There is the LDL type of cholesterol and there is the HDL type of cholesterol. LDL or also known as a low density lipid is the negative type of cholesterol. You don’t want to have too much LDL floating around in your blood stream as it is known to attach itself to the walls of your arteries and build up over time. This build up can cause an increased stress on your heart and ultimately lead to a heart disease or even a stroke. Monitoring LDL can be the difference between you living and you dying. The HDL type of cholesterol is known as the High Density Lipid. The importance of HDL is that it helps to eliminate the level of LDL or the bad cholesterol out of the blood stream. It also helps transport fats through the blood stream as well. Low levels of HDL can cause problems with the heart as well. Keeping an adequate level of HDL is imperative to keeping your LDL levels low. The bad form of cholesterol or LDL can usually be found in saturated fats that come from meats and dairy products. The consumption of these at exorbitant levels could cause problems for your system. The good form of cholesterol or HDL has been found in certain nuts and plants. These HDL inclusive items can increase your HDL levels and help you regulate your LDL levels. Consuming items with high HDL levels can be very good for your health. Cholesterol can get a lot of its influence from your genetics as well. As was mentioned earlier your liver produces its own cholesterol so it is a constant in your blood stream, but your genetics determine if it creates more or less of it. Monitoring your cholesterol levels should be something that you concern yourself with. Not paying attention to it could lead to heart disease and possible even a stroke, so it would be in your best interest to get a check up at the doctors and find out what your current cholesterol levels are.
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