What Happens To Cholesterol And Fat In Your Body
When you eat, cholesterol and fats from the food get broken down in your small intestine. They combine with bile salts, then lipases, and eventually get repackaged with other components before entering the bloodstream as lipoproteins.
Though some cholesterol components are stored in the liver and gallbladder, the main storage area for excess lipoproteins is in fat cells called adipocytes.
When you have too much cholesterol, these cells swell up and you gain weight. Too much cholesterol can be caused by eating too much unhealthy fat or carbohydrates.
Your body also uses some cholesterol to make bile, the greenish-brown fluid your liver produces to aid in food digestion. Bile is stored in your gallbladder.
Food Precursors: What Is Cholesterol Made Of In The Body
PRECURSORS are the source ingredients the body uses to make cholesterol. In the feature diagram above, called Acetyl CoA is a central intermediate in lipid metabolism by James Baggott PH.D. the PRECURSORS are: glucose & pyruvate, amino acids, fatty acids, and ketone bodies.
In the Stages of Metabolism diagram, the PRECURSORS that make cholesterol are: Proteins, Polysaccharides , and Lipids . These are PRECURSOR source ingredients, processed and mixed together, by Acetyl CoA to make cholesterol.
Stages of Metabolism
Should I Stop Drinking If I Have High Cholesterol
Cutting down on alcohol will help your liver to work better at removing bad cholesterol. It may also improve your heart health in other ways by helping you lose weight and lower your blood pressure.
Our top tips for drinking alcohol are to:
- drink less than 14 units of alcohol a week
- have a few days each week where you dont drink at all
- avoid binge drinking by drinking half what you usually would
- order a small glass of wine or half a pint of beer.
Read more of our advice on alcohol.By making some of these small changes you should see your cholesterol levels go down.
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How Cholesterol Moves Around The Body
Cholesterol is a white, insoluble and waxy substance. It is carried around the body by two key transport systems in the blood, which include:
- Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol carries most of the cholesterol that is delivered to cells. It is called the bad cholesterol because when its level in the bloodstream is high, it can clog up your arteries.
- High-density lipoprotein cholesterol is called the good cholesterol, because it helps remove excess cholesterol out of the cells, including cells in the arteries.
Checking Your Blood Cholesterol Level
A cholesterol screening is an overall look at the fats in your blood. Screenings help identify your risk for heart disease. It is important to have what is called a full lipid profile to show the actual levels of each type of fat in your blood: LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and others. Talk with your healthcare provider about when to have this test.
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Cholesterol Levels In Dialysis Patients
In a study of dialysis patients, those with higher cholesterol levels had lower mortality than those with low cholesterol.51 Yet the authors claimed that the inverse association of total cholesterol level with mortality in dialysis patients is likely due to the cholesterol-lowering effect of systemic inflammation and malnutrition, not to a protective effect of high cholesterol concentrations. Keeping an eye on further funding opportunities, the authors concluded: These findings support treatment of hypercholesterolemia in this population.
Which Foods Raise Ldl Cholesterol
Animal foods and products contain cholesterol, but its actually the types of fats in foods that can have a more dramatic effect on blood cholesterol levels.
A study from 2015 showed a decrease in saturated fats could lead to a small but potentially important reduction in cardiovascular risk.
The researchers also found evidence that when saturated fat is replaced with polyunsaturated fats, not carbohydrates, heart disease risk decreases.
Foods that are high in saturated fats encourage your liver to make more LDL bad cholesterol. You should limit these foods:
- full fat dairy products
- red meat, including beef, veal, lamb, and pork
- deli meats, sausage, bacon, and hot dogs
- baked goods
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Try Having One Vegetarian Meal Every Week
Dont let the word vegetarian scare you. By choosing a smartly prepared vegetarian meal, youre hitting multiple cholesterol-lowering goals at the same time, like eating healthier fats and getting more soluble fiber. Plus, many vegetarian meals are just as flavorful and filling as their meaty cousins.
Heres one idea for a low-cholesterol recipe: Try a freshly prepared salad with a sesame vinaigrette and some grilled, spiced tofu. For dessert, add some fresh blueberries, strawberries and oats to low-fat vanilla yogurt.
The key here is to build up a routine, like making every Tuesday night vegetarian night. Once that becomes the norm, try expanding to different nights, or add a weekly vegetarian lunch, too. You can also be flexitarian by just eating smaller portions of meat. Over time, these modifications can really add up and pay off.
Cholesterol Carbohydrates And Heart Disease
However, this simplistic way of thinking about cholesterol and heart disease is changing before our very eyes. It turns out that it is more complicated than this. LDL, for example, exists in a variety of forms. It can be big and buoyant and fluffy or small and dense and oxidized . The new thinking is that small, dense, oxidized LDL may be the only type of LDL that is associated with heart disease. Therefore, instead of thinking of all LDL as bad, it would be more accurate to say that all LDL is not created equalbig fluffy LDL is good and small, dense, oxidized LDL is bad.
Unfortunately, standard blood tests cant tell you which type of LDL you have because it lumps all types of LDL particles together. Standard tests can only estimate how much of your cholesterol is travelling inside of LDL particles. They cant tell you how many LDL particles you have, how big they are, how dense they are, or how oxidized they are.
What we do know from research studies is that people who eat a diet high in refined carbohydrates tend to have a higher number of bad LDL particles. This makes sense, because we know that carbohydrates are pro-oxidantsmeaning they can cause oxidation.
Strong evidence supports . . . associations of harmful factors, including intake of trans-fatty acids and foods with a high glycemic index or load.
Insufficient evidence of association is present for intake of . . . saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids total fat, . . . meat, eggs, and milk. .
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Good Cholesterol And Bad Cholesterol
This gets into the very complicated relationship between cholesterol blood tests and heart disease risk. This is an enormous topic, but Ill summarize some basic points.
When you get your cholesterol levels checked, you will see numbers for HDL and LDL, as well as triglycerides. Triglycerides are fats, so well set them aside and just focus on HDL and LDL.
HDL particles collect extra cholesterol from around the body and carry it back to the liver to be eliminated from the body if we dont need it. It is typically thought of as good cholesterol so higher HDL levels are considered a good sign.
LDL particles carry extra cholesterol made in the liver out to the rest of the cells in the body. We used to think of LDL as bad cholesterol so lower levels of LDL were considered a good sign.
The cholesterol inside of HDL and LDL particles is exactly the same, its just that, for the most part, HDL is carrying it in one direction and LDL is carrying it in the opposite direction. The reason why LDL had been dubbed bad and HDL has been dubbed good is that numerous epidemiological studies told us that high LDL levels were associated with a higher risk of heart attack, and that high HDL levels were associated with a lower risk of heart attack.
What Are Cholesterol Levels
Cholesterol circulating in the blood is carried by special particles called lipoproteins. The two major cholesterol-carrying lipoproteins are low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein :
- LDL cholesterol is often referred to as “bad” cholesterol because too much of it can build up in your arteries and form plaques, which increases the risk of heart disease .
- HDL cholesterol is often referred to as “good” cholesterol as it carries cholesterol to the liver to be broken down and excreted.
Since your total cholesterol is a combination of your LDL cholesterol and your HDL cholesterol, ideally you want to keep your LDL levels low and your HDL levels high. There are many factors that can influence your cholesterol, including, diet, exercise, weight, genetics, and other health conditions.
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Cholesterol Levels Do Not Tell Us Anything About How Effective Treatments Are
High LDL and low HDL cholesterol levels are recognized risk factors for cardiovascular disease. They can help get an idea of someones individual risk. But that does not mean that everything that can improve cholesterol levels, or claims to do so, is automatically good for your health. For example, one medication called torcetrapib was shown to be very effective at increasing good cholesterol levels and reducing bad cholesterol levels. But when the manufacturer did a study involving 15,000 people to see whether torcetrapib also prevented cardiovascular disease, the opposite was found to be true: it actually increased the risk of cardiovascular disease. So it was never approved as a medicine.
This example makes it clearer why it is so important to take factors other than into account when assessing the advantages and disadvantages of treatments. There is a lot of advice out there about what to do about high cholesterol, and many treatments are available. But only some of them have been reliably proven to prevent serious health problems, such as heart attacks, and increase life expectancy.
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How Is High Cholesterol Diagnosed
There are usually no signs or symptoms that you have high cholesterol. There is a blood test to measure your cholesterol level. When and how often you should get this test depends on your age, risk factors, and family history. The general recommendations are:
For people who are age 19 or younger::
- The first test should be between ages 9 to 11
- Children should have the test again every 5 years
- Some children may have this test starting at age 2 if there is a family history of high blood cholesterol, heart attack, or stroke
For people who are age 20 or older::
- Younger adults should have the test every 5 years
- Men ages 45 to 65 and women ages 55 to 65 should have it every 1 to 2 years
Fenugreek Seeds For Bad Cholesterol
If you are interested in knowing, how to reduce cholesterol without medication then fenugreek seeds are right choice. Fenugreek seeds come with some components that reduce the absorption of cholesterol by the body, which comes from the rich in fats.
Fenugreek seeds are rich in minerals like calcium, selenium, and zinc. Also, fenugreek seeds are loaded with vitamins A, B, and C.taking fenugreek seeds daily can also reduce the risk of heart attack by 25%.
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Here Is An Image Of Foods That Are Mixed Together By This Process In Your Liver To Make Cholesterol
The inter-conversions of every type of food, like the variety in the above image are mixed together.
The next image called Stages of Metabolism shows in diagram form, how everyday: foods, snacks, condiments and drinks are the ingredients Acetyl Co A uses to make energy and then cholesterol. Acetyl Co A is located in the middle, and near the top, of the green rectangle linking down to the Citric acid cycle, which is where your energy and cholesterol are made. The three names and colors across the top are listed here:
#1. PINK Proteins link in from the left. Sources of complete protein are mostly meat, poultry, eggs, fish and sea food. Proteins functions are structural growth and repair of: keratin in skin, collagen & elastin in connective tissue, and muscle protein. In addition, functional proteins such as enzymes and some hormones regulate a variety of functions but also act as a building.
Proteins are the first of the 3 food groups, mixed together to make cholesterol.
#2. BLUE Polysaccharides: Glucose, Fructose, and Galactose, , link down from the center. All carbohydrates came from plants. Sugars come from fruits, sugar cane, sugar beets, and milk. The polysaccharides are found in grains and vegetables.
Carbohydrates families of starches and sugars are the second of the 3 food groups, mixed together to make cholesterol.
Fats and oils are the third of the 3 food groups, mixed together to make cholesterol.
Home Remedy For Lower Cholesterol #2 Get More Vitamin C
As an antioxidant, vitamin C helps to reduce inflammation. A 2008 study showed a significant decrease in serum LDL cholesterol and tryglyceride concentrations with the supplementation of at least 500mg/d of vitamin C. Some good sources of vitamin C include:
- citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes
- kiwi
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What Should My Cholesterol Levels Be
Blood cholesterol is measured in units called millimoles per litre of blood, often shortened to mmol/L.
As a general guide, total cholesterol levels should be:
- 5mmol/L or less for healthy adults
- 4mmol/L or less for those at high risk
As a general guide, LDL levels should be:
- 3mmol/L or less for healthy adults
- 2mmol/L or less for those at high risk
An ideal level of HDL is above 1mmol/L. A lower level of HDL can increase your risk of heart disease.
Your ratio of total cholesterol to HDL may also be calculated. This is your total cholesterol level divided by your HDL level. Generally, this ratio should be below four, as a higher ratio increases your risk of heart disease.
Cholesterol is only one risk factor. The level at which specific treatment is required will depend on whether other risk factors, such as smoking and high blood pressure, are also present.
Dangers Of Statin Drugs: What You Havent Been Told About Popular Cholesterol
Hypercholesterolemia is the health issue of the 21st century. It is actually an invented disease, a problem that emerged when health professionals learned how to measure cholesterol levels in the blood. High cholesterol exhibits no outward signsunlike other conditions of the blood, such as diabetes or anemia, diseases that manifest telltale symptoms like thirst or weaknesshypercholesterolemia requires the services of a physician to detect its presence. Many people who feel perfectly healthy suffer from high cholesterolin fact, feeling good is actually a symptom of high cholesterol!
Doctors who treat this new disease must first convince their patients that they are sick and need to take one or more expensive drugs for the rest of their lives, drugs that require regular checkups and blood tests. But such doctors do not work in a vacuumtheir efforts to convert healthy people into patients are bolstered by the full weight of the US government, the media and the medical establishment, agencies that have worked in concert to disseminate the cholesterol dogma and convince the population that high cholesterol is the forerunner of heart disease and possibly other diseases as well.
The drugs that doctors use to treat the new disease are called statinssold under a variety of names including Lipitor , Zocor , Mevacor and Pravachol .
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Normal Cholesterol Levels By Age
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that plays many roles in the body, including synthesizing hormones and vitamin D. It also assists in the transporting of lipids. Cholesterol is found in the foods you eat, but it is also made by the liver.
We need some cholesterol to build healthy cells, but an accumulation of the bad kind can be problematic, increasing the risk of atherosclerosis. The recommended ranges for your cholesterol will depend on your age. Find out what cholesterol levels are, why age is a factor, and how to keep your levels within a healthy range.
Verywell / Jessica Olah
What Are Good And Bad Cholesterol
Rather than two different kinds of cholesterol that are good and bad, there are two different types of lipoproteins that cholesterol travels in. Having some of both types of lipoproteins is essential for good health.
High-density lipoproteins, called HDL cholesterol, are often thought of as good because they remove cholesterol from your arteries and take it back to your liver to process and eliminate.
Low-density lipoproteins, called LDL cholesterol, are thought of as the bad cholesterol, because they leave cholesterol in your arteries. While you need some LDL and HDL cholesterol for your body to work properly, too much cholesterol in total can lead to health problems, as the extra LDL cholesterol builds up in your arteries.
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When Should My Cholesterol Levels Be Tested
Your GP may recommend that you have your blood cholesterol levels tested if you:
- have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, stroke or mini stroke , or peripheral arterial disease
- have a family history of early cardiovascular disease
- have a close family member who has a cholesterol-related condition
- are overweight