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With the recent trends in the 21st century, people are more concerned and becoming more knowledgeable of the risks with elevated levels of cholesterol. Many people when hear about cholesterol immediately relate it with heart problems however cholesterol has many prominent functions in the body.
Cholesterol, a waxy steroid fat, plays an important role in various systems in the human body. Cholesterol has many functions; it helps in maintaining membrane flow and permeability. It is the basis for synthesizing bile acid, which help to digest food in the intestine. Additionally cholesterol is the precursor for Vitamin D synthesis as well as steroid based hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. Cholesterol is also a constituent of myelin sheath that surround nerve fibres to help speed up the rate of signal transduction between nerves. Thus it is crucial to mental function.
Liver makes approximately 85% of cholesterol and only 15% is provided through diet. Cholesterol cannot travel by itself in the body since it does not dissolve in the bloodstream therefore it is transported via lipoproteins. There are two major types of lipoproteins, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL cholesterol is commonly believed to be the ‘bad’ cholesterol as it takes the cholesterol that is produced by the liver to feed the tissues. High level of LDL cholesterol can cause atherosclerosis, which is a hardening of the arteries due to cholesterol build up, and thus plaque formation. HDL cholesterol reduces cholesterol by transporting excess cholesterol from tissues to the liver for elimination from the body.
How can we control our cholesterol level?
Life style changes are one of the first methods for reducing cholesterol levels. Exercising and maintaining a healthy diet can help to reduce LDL.
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An interesting food product that is commonly found in households that helps reduce cholesterol is honey! Honey has found to reduce total cholesterol level. It contain antioxidant the prevent cholesterol form coming out of the cells and into the arteries thus reducing LDL cholesterol. Increasing dietary fibres also reduce total LDL by binding to bile acid and carry them outside the body, promoting the liver to convert more cholesterol to bile acid. In addition to natural solution to lower cholesterol levels medications such as statins is recommended which is very effective in preventing cardiovascular disease.
Shadi Saffari
sources:
http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Cholesterol-Cell-Membrane.html
http://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org/bileacids.php
http://www.livestrong.com/article/22110-cholesterol-made-liver/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-density_lipoprotein
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-density_lipoprotein
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001224/
http://cholesterol.about.com/od/treatments/a/tlc.htm
http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/honey-lowers-cholesterol.html
http://cholesterol.about.com/od/cholesterolnutrition101/tp/Fiber.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statin
