Fitness

Understanding Cholesterol, Part 1

The 1^st part of this article is to help you understand cholesterol, what it is, what it’s called, and what illnesses it causes in our bodies.

Cholesterol is a kind of  fat in your blood. Your body makes its own cholesterol, but you also get it from the foods you eat like meat, potato chips, cookies, eggs and processed food.  Some people have too much cholesterol in their blood.

Cholesterol can build up on the inside of the blood vessels of your heart. If too much cholesterol builds up, then the blood cannot flow through to your heart. This can cause a heart attack.

Most people do not show any signs of high cholesterol. The only way to know for sure is to go to the doctor and ask for a cholesterol test.

Our Western diet has become a processed food diet high in fat, sugar and cholesterol.  When we go to the food store, most of what we buy looks nothing like it did before it became the food we are putting into our cart.  We buy chicken nuggets instead of chicken pieces, we buy complete lunches shrink wrapped in microwaveable plastic trays instead of turkey sliced from a real home made turkey, we buy gelatinized ham in a tin can.  We do less and less shopping in the produce isle, and more and more shopping on the “dinners to go” isle.

Yes, our lives have become very busy.  In most households both parents need to work just to put food on the table.  I know.  I’m a single parent, as so many are, and I too stay awake at night trying to figure out where I’m going to get the money to pay the mortgage, pay the electric bill, and still have money left over to buy food.  It is not easy, and something has to give, but it shouldn’t be the food we put in our bodies, because we are what we eat.

Replacing “whole” or “real” food with a diet of processed and drive through food isn’t the answer.  If your dinner is that cheap and easy, there’s a reason.  If it costs the fast food place $1.00 to get 12 chicken nuggets, then how much chicken can really be in them?  My answer…. Not much.

Remember that old saying… “You get what you pay for.”

Read the label!  If the label is full of 30 letter words you can’t pronounce, and the ingredient, chicken for instance, is one of the last ingredients, PUT IT BACK on the shelf.  The FDA now mandates food producers to list their ingredients in order of the amount, or quantity, in that product you are buying.

Some scary facts about cholesterol:

As per the CDC:

“Approximately one in every six adults has high cholesterol.  Anyone, including children, can develop high cholesterol. It greatly increases the risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.”  “People with high total cholesterol have approximately twice the risk of heart disease as people with optimal levels. A desirable level is lower than 200 mg/dL. For adult Americans, the average level is about 200 mg/dL, which is borderline high risk. More women than men have high cholesterol in the United States.”

“On the basis of 2006 mortality rate data, nearly 2300 Americans die of CVD (coronary vascular disease) each day, an average of 1 death every 38 seconds.”  http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/121/7/e46.full

• The Childrens Hospital of Boston states that about 107 million American adults have total cholesterol levels of 200 or higher, which is considered borderline high-risk. That’s 48 percent of the adult U.S. population.
• About 37.2 million adults in the United States have blood cholesterol levels greater than 240, which is considered high-risk.
• According to the American Heart Association, high blood cholesterol that runs in families will affect the future of an unknown (but probably large) number of children and adolescents.

Many physicians are now beginning to realize that children and adolescents are increasingly at risk for high blood cholesterol levels as a result of one or more of the following:

• sedentary lifestyles :playing video games and watching TV instead of participating in vigorous exercise
• high-fat junk food and fast food diets
• obesity
• family history of high cholesterol levels

Statistics from a leading cholesterol medication website:  Consider the following statistics:

• 42 million Americans have high cholesterol
• Americans consume 33% of their calories as fat, thereby increasing their risk of developing high cholesterol
• Over 50% of Americans have cholesterol levels that are too high (over 200 mg/dL).
• Cardiovascular disease is the number 1 killer of Americans. (945,836 Americans (39.4% of all deaths) died from cardiovascular disease in the year 2000
• 41.3% of American females who die, die from cardiovascular disease, particularly coronary heart disease and stroke
• In 1999, U.S. community hospitals billed $26.2 billion for coronary atherosclerosis. This is higher than any other health condition.
• Almost 10% of American adolescents ages 12-19 have total cholesterol levels that are too high (over 200 mg/dL)
• It is estimated that a 10% decrease in total cholesterol levels could result in a 30% reduction in the incidence of coronary heart disease
• Research suggests that 36 million Americans would benefit from drug therapy to treat high cholesterol

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that occurs naturally in all parts of the body. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries. This is called plaque. Plaque can narrow your arteries or even block them.

Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods. Your body already makes all the cholesterol it needs!. However, cholesterol also is found in some of the foods you eat.

Cholesterol travels through your bloodstream in small packages called lipoproteins (lip-o-PRO-teens). These packages are made of fat (lipid) on the inside and proteins on the outside.

Two kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout your body: low-density lipoproteins (LDL), the bad cholesterol,  and high-density lipoproteins (HDL), the good cholesterol.. Having healthy levels of both types of lipoproteins is important.

LDL cholesterol sometimes is called “bad” cholesterol. A high LDL level leads to a buildup of cholesterol in your arteries. (Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to your body.)

HDL cholesterol sometimes is called “good” cholesterol. This is because it carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. Your liver removes the cholesterol from your body.  An easy way to remember this is to associate LDL as “low”, you want it low, and HDL as “high”, you want it to be high.

High LDL cholesterol cause’s a ton of serious health issues in and to our body.

High LDL cholesterol is a silent and deadly killer.

There are no outside symptoms, which is how it works it’s way in and becomes a permanent resident in our bodies.

High levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood can increase your risk of heart disease. Your cholesterol levels tend to rise as you get older. There are usually no signs or symptoms that you have high blood cholesterol, but it can be detected with a blood test. You are likely to have high cholesterol if members of your family have it, if you are overweight or if you eat a lot of fatty foods.

Saturated fat raises your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) bad cholesterol level more than anything else in your diet. Saturated fat is found in some meats, dairy products, chocolate, baked goods, deep-fried and processed foods.

Trans fatty acids (trans fats) raise your LDL cholesterol and lower your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Trans fats are made when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to harden it. Trans fats are found in some fried and almost all processed foods.

A scary fact: from 1996 to 2006, the total number of inpatient cardiovascular operations and procedures increased 33%, from 5 444 000 to 7 235 000 annually (American Heart Association computation based on National Center for Health Statistics annual data).

Limiting foods with cholesterol, saturated fat, and trans fats can help you control your cholesterol levels.  If the label on your food says “hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, or high fructose corn syrup”, PUT IT BACK ON THE SHELF!!!!!

Something else to be very aware of are take out and restaurant meals.  The menu may make their item appear to be healthy buy using key words, maybe even including a fruit or vegetable in the title.  If you made that same menu item at home, where you control the quantity and quality of the ingredients used, it would be a healthy meal.  The restaurant, on the other hand, does not tell you the quantity and quality of the ingredients they use.  In order for them to make a profit after paying all their overhead expenses, they can’t afford to use the more expensive healthier ingredients, it’s simply a matter of profit.  As an example, the next time you’re in the grocery store, pick up a jar of Fracesco Rinaldi and a jar of Ragu tomato spaghetti sauce.  Read and compare the two labels. I’m not trying to single either one of these companies out.  I simply want you to see the staggering difference in the list of ingredients, calories, fats and sugars per serving of the 2 seemingly the same products.  You’ll quickly realize they are not the same, 1 is clearly a healthier choice then the other.  Now do the same thing on a few other food products you typically buy.

Nutrition labels on food are very helpful when choosing heart-healthy foods, but you need to know what to look for. Many “low-cholesterol” foods contain high levels of saturated fat and/or trans fat — both of which contribute to high blood cholesterol. Even foods that claim to be “low-fat” may have a higher fat content than expected. Look for the amount of saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and total calories in a serving of the product. Also check how much a serving is. Often it’s smaller than you think. The first ingredient listed is the one used most in the product, so choose products where fats and oils appear later in the ingredient listing. The Food and Drug Administration now requires foods to be labeled for trans fats. Trans fats are found in variable amounts in most foods made with partially hydrogenated oils such as processed foods, fast foods, baked goods, cakes, cookies, crackers, pastries, pies, muffins, doughnuts, fried foods, shortening and some margarines and dairy products

There are things we can absolutely control to help us fight high cholesterol.  Becoming educated on the facts is the 1^st step.  Read the label of everything you plan on putting in your mouth.  Know what it contains.  Know what the ingredients mean.

Also know that if you are thin, this does not protect or save you from high cholesterol and the diseases it causes.  It simply means you have a higher metabolic rate.  It certainly does not mean you are healthy.  Any type of body can have high cholesterol. Overweight people are more likely to have high cholesterol, but thin people should also have their cholesterol checked regularly. Often people who don’t gain weight easily are less aware of how much saturated and trans fat they eat. Nobody can “eat anything they want” often and stay heart healthy. Have your cholesterol checked regularly regardless of your weight, physical activity and diet.

LDL cholesterol is affected by diet. Knowing which fats raise LDL cholesterol and which ones don’t is the first step in lowering your risk of heart disease. In addition to the LDL produced naturally by your body, saturated fat, trans-fatty acids and dietary cholesterol can also raise blood cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats appear to not raise LDL cholesterol; some studies suggest they might even help lower LDL cholesterol slightly when eaten as part of a low-saturated and trans-fat diet.

The American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee strongly advises these fat guidelines for healthy Americans over age 2:

• Limit total fat intake to less than 25–35 percent of your total calories each day;
• Limit saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of total daily calories;
• Limit trans fat intake to less than 1 percent of total daily calories;
• The remaining fat should come from sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as nuts, seeds, fish and vegetable oils; and
• Limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day, for most people.  If you have coronary heart disease or your LDL cholesterol level is 100 mg/dL or greater, limit your cholesterol intake to less than 200 milligrams a day.

For example, a sedentary female who is 31–50 years old needs about 2,000 calories each day. Therefore, she should consume less than 16 g saturated fat, less than 2 g trans fat and between 50 and 70 grams of total fat each day (with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, such as fish, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils).  http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/PreventionTreatmentofHighCholesterol/Know-Your-Fats_UCM_305628_Article.jsp

Why is having a high HDL cholesterol level important?

HDL, or “good,” cholesterol picks up excess bad cholesterol in your blood and takes it back to your liver for disposal. The higher your HDL cholesterol, the less bad cholesterol you’ll have in your blood.

Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or millimoles per liter (mmol/L):

• For men, HDL levels under 40 mg/dL or 1 mmol/L increase the risk of heart disease.
• For women, HDL levels under 50 mg/dL or 1.3 mmol/L increase the risk of heart disease.
• An HDL level above 60 mg/dL or 1.6 mmol/L is considered ideal for men or women.

Having a low HDL level by itself is a risk factor for developing heart disease. That means even if your LDL and other risk factors are normal, having a low HDL level still increases your risk of heart disease.

I hope that part 1 of my cholesterol article has helped you to understand the basics of cholesterol.  Part 2 of this article will help you understand cholesterol lowering medications and their serious side effects, as well as alternative treatments and positive lifestyle changes you can make to help you lower your cholesterol in a natural, alternative way using Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils and fish oils.

Tammy Baile

Young Living Essential Oils Distributor, # 1156558

I'm looking forward to helping you get "on with living" in a happy, healthy, chemical and pain-free way as I, my family and our pets have.

Contact Tammy

Order essential oils and wellness products from Tammy here!

Learn to buy at Wholesale

Bookmark It