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Many people don’t know this, but cholesterol is not an enemy. It is actually important, because your body needs some of it to work well.
Cholesterol is a complex topic that people usually misunderstand. But this article is here to tell you What you need to know about cholesterol.
It looks like a wax-y fat-like thing that is found in your body, that helps your body in different ways.
It helps:
- Produce hormones like estrogen and testosterone
- Supports the production of Vitamin D
Your liver makes all the cholesterol your body needs. But you can also get it from the foods like
- Meat
- Poultry
- Dairy products
📋 Table of Contents
Cholesterol: The Good (High-density lipoprotein)
HDL is called the “good” cholesterol, because it helps reduce cholesterol from your arteries.
Then, it transports it back to your liver, where it can be processed, and finally removed from your body.
High levels of HDL cholesterol helps protect your heart from diseases by:
- Reducing inflammation in your blood vessels
- Improving how your blood vessels work
- Reducing your risk of heart disease
Cholesterol is good, but the bad exists too.
The bad: LDL (Low-density lipoprotein)
Low-density lipoprotein is seen as the “bad” cholesterol because of how badly it can affect your heart, by building up plaque in your arteries.
The plaque in question, is made up of cholesterol, fat, and other things that can thin out your arteries, which can lead to atherosclerosis.
The buildup of can increase your risk of:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Heart failure
- Heart attacks
High-levels of LDL, is a big deal, and needs immediate attention.
Why it is often misunderstood
There are many things that people don’t understand about cholesterol. That’s why there are many misconceptions about it, which need to be addressed,
A lot of people believe that the cholesterol you get from food is the only problem.
But it’s not.
The type of meals you eat can also affect your cholesterol levels, so it’s not just about the cholesterol in food.
Other things like:
- Saturated fats
- Trans fats
- Carbohydrates
Can also affect your cholesterol levels.
Then medications like statins are not the only things that can help lower your cholesterol levels. Things like:
- Exercise
- Eating foods that are healthy
Make a big difference too.
Also, heart disease isn’t only caused by cholesterol in your body, because the risk of developing heart disease depends on more than just how much cholesterol you have.
But on things like:
- Your blood pressure
- Inflammation
- Overall health
- Watching your weight
- Physical activity
- Habits like smoking and drinking too much alcohol
When you understand the good, bad, and misunderstood parts of cholesterol, you’ll know how to:
- control your cholesterol levels
- and reduce your risk of getting heart disease
- make smarter decisions about your health in general
