What is Cholesterol?

Before you start chomping on those cheese fries or greasy hamburger, you may want to take a closer look if you get too much cholesterol. Cholesterol, a waxy substance produced by the liver and found in some foods, is needed to make vitamin D and certain hormones, building cell walls, and create bile salts that help you digest fat. In fact, your body produces enough cholesterol so that if you have never touched another cheese fry, you would be OK. But it is difficult to avoid entirely cholesterol because many foods contain. Too much cholesterol in the body can cause serious problems, such as heart disease. Many factors can contribute to high cholesterol, but the good news is there are things you can do to control them. Look at taking a Cholesterol Lipids are fats that are found throughout the body. Cholesterol, a type of fat is found in foods of animal origin. This means that eggs, meat and whole-fat dairy products (including milk, cheese, and ice cream) are responsible for cholesterol and vegetables, fruits and grains contain any. The liver produces about 1,000 milligrams of cholesterol per day, and you probably consume about 150 to 250 milligrams in the food you eat. Because cholesterol may not travel in the blood, it must be combined with certain proteins. These proteins act as trucks, pick-up and transport of cholesterol in different parts of the body. When this happens, cholesterol and protein form a lipoprotein. The two main types of lipoproteins are the high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL). You may have heard people call LDL "bad cholesterol" HDL cholesterol and "good cholesterol" because of their very different effects on the body. Most cholesterol is LDL cholesterol, and it is the kind that is most likely to become clogged blood vessels, keeping the blood from flowing through the body as it should. About one third to one fourth of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol. HDL Cholesterol transports cholesterol to the liver, where it can be processed and sent out of the body. Why do people worry about high cholesterol? When you have too much cholesterol, it can be dangerous for your health. When LDL cholesterol is high cholesterol deposited on artery walls and form a hard substance called plaque. Over time, plaque causes the arteries to become narrower, reducing blood flow and cause a disease called atherosclerosis (pronounced: ha-thuh-ro skluh roll-on/roll-off sis), or hardening of the arteries. When atherosclerosis affects the coronary arteries (the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle), the condition is called coronary artery disease, which puts a person at risk of a heart attack. When atherosclerosis affects the blood vessels that feed the brain, the condition is called cerebral vascular disease, which puts a person at risk of having a stroke. Atherosclerosis can also block blood flow to other vital organs, including the kidneys and intestines. That's why it is so important to begin to pay attention to cholesterol levels as a teenager-you can delay or prevent serious health problems in the future. What causes LDL cholesterol high? Some of the factors that can lead to high cholesterol are: Overweight-overweight has been linked to high cholesterol. Heredity - If cholesterol problems and heart disease run in your family, you are at a higher risk of having problems. Remember that the diet said "you are what you eat"? Avoid foods high in cholesterol, saturated fat and trans fats, which all high cholesterol and the risk of developing heart disease. - Exercise of physical activity tends to increase levels of HDL, which reduces your chances of developing heart disease. Age - The risk of high cholesterol increases as you get older. What can I do to lower my cholesterol? Some people who have high cholesterol should be medicines as part of their treatment has fallen. Although most teens are not required to take medication to lower their cholesterol, it is always important to keep cholesterol in check. To see if you have high cholesterol, talk to your doctor, who can test your cholesterol by drawing a sample of your blood. You can not change your genes, but there are things you can do now to reduce the risk of heart disease later. Try eating less saturated fat, limit the amount of trans fat, and to limit cholesterol (check food labels if you do not know how many of these foods contain particular). The American Heart Association recommends that cholesterol intake should be less than 300 milligrams per day, total fat should be 30% or less of total calories, saturated fat and should be 10% or less in the number total calories you consume daily. Also, maintain a healthy weight and get moving. Aerobic exercise regularly-things like cycling, walking, swimming, and strengthens the heart, lowers cholesterol and helps you lose excess weight. For people who smoke, abandonment can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Here are some useful tips to try: Eat a diet that contains many of cholesterol foods: fruits, vegetables, whole grains (breads and cereals), legumes (beans), and fish. Eat a diet that is low in saturated fats and trans. Replace saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats, for example, to cook with olive oil or other heart-friendly instead of using oil butter or stick margarine. If you eat meat, try using lean meat like chicken skin. Make sure you trim off all fat notables before cooking and drain fat from the pan after browning meat. Instead of frying, try boiling, broiling, baking, roasting, poaching, steaming or sautéing. Instead of whole milk, use low-fat or nonfat milk, which contains all the nutrients without all the fat. Also, try low-fat or nonfat yogurt and cheese or cottage cheese. You can also replace the low-fat buttermilk or yogurt in a recipe that calls for cream cheese or sour cream. Use without trans fat margarine. Instead of meat, try beans, peas, lentils or tofu. Instead of eggs, try just egg whites, or cholesterol-free egg substitutes trade. Use vegetable oil or liquid tub margarine instead of butter, shortening or margarine sticks. Stay away from products that contain hydrogenated vegetable oils. Pass on trade in prepared baked goods, which are often made with hydrogenated oils or trans fats. Looking snacks that are low in fat and cholesterol? Try fruit, raw vegetables and low-fat dips, low-fat cookies and crackers, plain unsalted popcorn or pretzels, gelatin, yogurt or low fat. If you are concerned about cholesterol and heart disease, talk to your doctor. Visit the American Heart Association's Web site, which contains a lot of information as well as low cholesterol recipes for you to try at home. Although all the factors that contribute to heart disease and high cholesterol can be controlled, many possible. Start taking care of your body now, and she thanks you in the future.