In this Article:
Understanding Cholesterol
Other Fats in the Body
Atherosclerosis
Good or bad cholesterol, so many “saturated” fats and fatty acids and triglycerides … yikes. Many of us don’t want all the science behind bringing down our fat impact cholesterol levels, we just want to do it because its good for us. But fat metabolism is pretty fundamental: high cholesterol levels in the blood are a risk factor for heart disease because it can clog arteries and be fertile soil for a stroke or a heart attack, period.
The American obsession with eliminating cholesterol has yielded results: a twenty percent reduction in the amount we consume as a nation today, compared to levels in the 1970s. will this alone eliminate risks for heart attacks? Of course not, because other types of fat can affect cholesterol levels and they, like cholesterol itself, require some dietary monitoring. In short, the most culpable party is saturated fat.
A Brief Description
Cholesterol is known as a lipid. You can find it throughout the body’s tissues and it is an integral aspect of cell membranes. It gets converted by the body into hormones. It is derived from two sources, one’s own body (chiefly produced in the liver) and in the foods we eat, including meat, chicken, seafood, eggs and other dairy products. Consequently this soft substance is good for you—in moderation.
The Good v. Bad Debate
Let’s begin by following cholesterol through the body. In order to wander through the body it relies on cells in the blood, like any other nutrient. But—cholesterol is not water-soluble, so it needs specialized carriers, called lipoproteins in order to travel to different organs. Now, lipoproteins come in various kinds, but we are only concerned with two:
• High density lipoprotein (HDL), and
• Low density lipoprotein (LDL)
Reader, meet good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol.
High density lipoproteins, the ‘good’, carry approximately one third or more of blood cholesterol, and the reason it’s good is because it takes cholesterol away from one’s arteries and returns it to the liver, which then gets rid of it from the body.
Low density lipoproteins, the ‘bad’, are the body’s primary cholesterol carriers. It gets its reputation from the ability to slowly accumulate in the arterial walls. In conjunction with other substances in the blood, it can create plaque in the arteries, which can over time shut down blood flow and lead to a heart attack or a stroke.
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