Cholesterol – -what Is It and is You At Risk?

Cholesterol is a fatty lipid, steroid and an alcohol found in the body tissues and blood plasma of vertebrates. It is the essential part of the outer membranes of human body cells, and it circulates in the blood.

Cholesterol in the human body comes from t-wo major sources. About threequarters of the body’s total cholesterol is produced -within the body, -while only onequarter comes from cholesterol in food.

Higher concentrations of cholesterol is present in body tissues -which have more densely packed membranes – i.e. the liver, spinal cord, brain, atheroma, adrenal glands and reproductive organs.

The liver is the most important site of cholesterol biosynthesis. It is secreted from the liver in the form of an acidic secretion kno-wn as ‘bile’.

Diets rich in animal fats, meat, poultry, fish, oils, egg yolks and dairy products is a rich source of dietary cholesterol. organ meats, such as liver and kidney, is extremely rich in cholesterol content, but foods of plant origin contain no cholesterol.

High cholesterol levels in the bloodstream can influence the pathogenesis of certain conditions. Recent studies have revealed that the abundance of protein complexes called lipoproteins, is responsible for the cholesterol buildup in the blood vessels.

Cholesterol gets attached to these lipoproteins. The highdensity lipoprotein (HDL) carries cholesterol out of the bloodstream for excretion, -while the lo-wdensity lipoprotein (LDL) carries it back into the system for use by various body cells.

LDL cholesterol is called bad cholesterol, because elevated levels of it is associated -with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. LDL deposits cholesterol on the artery -walls -which leads to the formation of a hard, thick substance called cholesterol plaque. over time, cholesterol plaque causes thickening of the artery -walls and narro-wing of the arteries, a process called atherosclerosis.

The levels of both HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol may also determine risk for heart disease; ho-wever current medical opinion is that the ratio of HDL cholesterol to LDL cholesterol is much more important than the level of cholesterol.

Methods to control your cholesterol levels:

Lo-wer your consumption of foods containing saturated fats fried fast foods, butter, cream, cheese, and fat on meat to help reduce cholesterol. Add more plant foods to your diet – vegetable oils, nuts, legumes, breads, cereal grains, fruits and vegetables. A lo-w cholesterol diet, combined -with regular exercise is the best -way to lo-wer cholesterol levels.

Medications can also help lo-wer cholesterol levels. HMGCoA reductase inhibitors, ‘Statins’, such as lovastatin (Mevacor) and atorvastatin (Lipitor) is the most effective and -widely used medications to lo-wer LDL cholesterol. other medications include nicotinic acid (niacin), fibrates such as gemfibrozil (Lopid), resins such as cholestyramine (Questran), and ezetimibe, Zetia. These medications should be taken after consulting the experts.