Cholesterol and its functions

Cholesterol and its functions

I am going to discuss some of the functions of cholesterol in the body how cholesterol contributes to plaque buildup in the arteries. Two different methods that the medical community uses to evaluate cholesterol levels and some things you can do to help alter cholesterol levels so let's roll so what is cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a waxy fat-like substance your body and especially your liver makes all the cholesterol you need and circulates it through the blood but cholesterol is also found in foods from animal sources such as meat, poultry and full fat dairy products. Cholesterol has some very important functions in our bodies the first function deals with cells. Cholesterol is an essential structural component of all cell membranes, cell membranes are made up primarily of a phospholipid bilayer proteins and cholesterol molecules which are fitted between some of the phospholipids. Cholesterol helps maintain both membranes structural integrity and fluidity it enables cells to not need a cell wall, the cells are able to change shape and move about the second major function of cholesterol is that it plays an important role in the absorption and production of vitamin D.

 Vitamin D is created when ultraviolet rays of the Sun act upon a form of cholesterol the third function of cholesterol is that it is used to make bile, Bile breaks down fat into small droplets so digestive enzymes can come in and do their jobs and the fourth major function of cholesterol is that it is a precursor for making some sex hormones like testosterone in men and estrogen and women. So, if cholesterol is a part of all these important bodily functions why are we as a society so afraid of it. Well, to answer that we have to look at lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are like package carriers the chief purpose of lipoproteins is to transport fats mainly cholesterol and triglycerides from place-to-place through the bloodstream two kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout your body low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) having healthy levels of both types of each is important.

Now, we're going to look at two different ways cholesterol levels are evaluated the first method is the kind of old-school way which most doctors will use to evaluate cholesterol levels and the second method is based on newer research in the field of cholesterol which method is best is up for debate. I will explain both methods to you to increase your awareness you can discuss this subject in detail with your doctor. All right then, let's look at method 1. Low-density lipoproteins or LDL cholesterol sometimes is called bad cholesterol LDL cholesterol is considered the bad cholesterol because it contributes to plaque a thick hard deposit that can clog arteries and make them less flexible, some of the LDLs can stick to small tears in the sides of the arteries and eventually release cholesterol into the artery wall as this keeps happening the plaque starts to build up and over the time it can get quite large this condition is known as a Florio sclerosis if a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery heart attack or stroke occurs.

 High-density lipoproteins or HDL cholesterol is considered good cholesterol because it helps remove LDL cholesterol from the arteries experts believe HDL acts as a scavenger carrying LDL cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver where the cholesterol is either recycled or excreted from the body. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute the higher the level of LDL cholesterol in your blood the greater your chances of getting heart disease the higher the level of HDL cholesterol in your blood the lower your chances of getting heart disease

The American Heart Association recommends all adults age 20 or older have their cholesterol and other traditional risk factors tested every 4 to 6 years, this test will show you your HDL LDL and triglyceride levels your total blood cholesterol level will then be calculated using the following equation HDL + LD plus 20% of your triglyceride level to determine how your cholesterol levels affect your risk of heart disease. Your doctor will also take into account other risk factors such as age, family history, smoking and high blood pressure.

Now let's look at the cholesterol evaluation method number two. The main difference between this method and method one is that this method focuses on LDL size, their size is often classified as small dense LDL or large LDL. Studies have shown that people who have mostly small particles have up to a three times greater risk of developing heart disease, there's the same amount of total cholesterol but a higher quantity of particles the small dense LDL particles can more effectively stick to and enter arterial walls contributing to arterial. You can discuss with your doctor which cholesterol evaluation method is best for you with that being said based on the two different evaluation methods there are three questions we need to look at how to lower your overall LDL how to increase your HDL and have an increase LDL particle size there is no concrete 100% correct answer to any of those questions but research suggests that most people diet and exercise can have the most dramatic effect on all three of those questions increasing whole food consumption while decreasing the consumption of foods that have been highly processed or contained large amounts of added sugar can help lower overall LDL and increase LDL particle.

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