I was reading an article from Advance Magazine (Feb 12th 2007 issue) about Cholesterol and the true facts surrounding the controversy about high cholesterol. If you want to read the whole article called Ranking High Cholesterol then just give the title a click. Otherwise I will summarize the article here for you.
“To better understand the concept of “high cholesterol,” a basic understanding of what cholesterol really is, where it comes from and what it is used for—it’s purpose—is needed. Simply put, cholesterol is a type of sterol (steroid alcohol) that is found within all cell membranes. In other words, cholesterol is a vital component of all tissues of the human body.” If cholesterol is a vital part of our body - it cannot be the evil molecule that it has been reported as being. Cholesterol is the basic building block of all our hormones - which we need to survive. Cholesterol has several rolls in our body:
- It acts as cellular “glue”
- Serves as a precursor to all steroid hormones
- Building block for manufacturing of certain vitamins
- Metabolizing fatty acids
Without cholesterol our bodies would not be able to make:
- Pregnenolone
- DHEA
- Estrogen
- Testosterone
- Cortisone
- other vital hormones
The bottom line is Cholesterol is needed in our bodies.
“Simply put, there is just cholesterol, not “good cholesterol” or “bad cholesterol”—because both “types” of cholesterol are needed. However, because the correlation of total cholesterol with heart disease—and with other diseases—was highly questionable, many years ago a stronger correlation was sought.
It is important to realize that both LDL and HDL are lipoproteins—fats that are combined with proteins. Cholesterol needs to combine with fats and proteins to be carried through our watery bloodstream, since fat and our watery blood do not mix very well. However, LDL and HDL are forms of lipoproteins—they are not just forms of cholesterol.”
LDL is often called “bad cholesterol” because is carries cholesterol from the liver to the blood stream - seemingly raising blood cholesterol levels. HDL - “good cholesterol” carries cholesterol from the blood stream back to the liver - seemingly lowering levels.
Cholesterol is not a mistake of nature - it is a necessary part of our physiology.
Cholesterol becomes a problem when it becomes “oxidized” it can irritate and inflame the tissues in which it is lodged. If this inflammatory process is allow to continue on a chronic basis scar tissue is formed and that is called plaque - which causes hardening of the arteries. Therefore it would make more since to treat the cause of oxidation not treat the levels of cholesterol. Depriving our bodies of an essential building block for creating various life yielding substances is causing more problems in our overall health than simply taking antioxidants would.
I would encourage you to read the whole article - it certainly puts a different light on the whole cholesterol myth.
Also if you are looking for a quality antioxidant do your research on this product called Ambrotose AO.
More articles on Cholesterol from the sphere:
The Saturated Fat & Cholesterol Myth Destroyed!! - This is obviously healthy and raises good cholesterol and therefore lowers risk of heart disease. Hmm, not much wrong there, is there? The result of consumption of this acid is either nil or even beneficial to your health. …
Lower Bad Cholesterol - Discover How To Lower Bad Cholesterol - Trans fats have been found to be detrimental to the cardiovascular system in general, and have also been linked to actually lowering the good cholesterol found in the blood stream. free tea leave reading. Exercise. vitamin wall chart. …
Blueberries and Cholesterol- Studies Show Promise for Natural … - HDL cholesterol is good because high levels of HDL tend to protect against heart attacks. In fact, low levels of HDL (40 mg/dL or less) increase the risk of heart disease. Although HDL is better than LDL, foods with cholesterol must be …
What You Should Know About Cholesterol Triglycerides? - To get more tips on maintaining good cholesterol levels go to: http://www.cholesterol-diet.for–you.com Also, check out his free weekly newsletter and get his no-nonsense report on constipation cure …
Here’s to your health
Dotty
Health and Wellness