Cholesterol

What is cholesterol? It is a kind of fat that is found in the blood circulation and is made by the liver. Most of cholesterol is produced by the body, rather than taken in as food. Food, though, can increase the amount of cholesterol that the body makes by providing the chemicals needed to make it. Saturated fat is a particularly important culprit. This fat occurs naturally, for example in the fat found in meat, but is also made by chemically saturating fat molecules with hydrogen atoms. This process is known as hydrogenation, the fat is called saturated fat. For example, margarine tends to be an oil at room temperature, but after saturation becomes a little more solid. The fat can be partly saturated, as in monounsaturated fat, which is healthy in moderation, and saturated fat, which is unhealthy and promotes the production cholesterol by the body.

While it is useful to know the total cholesterol, it is important to know the ratio of HDL (good) to LDL (bad) cholesterol. Lower levels of total and bad cholesterol tend to be healthier, and decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. The desirable levels are: (total) cholesterol less than 200 mg/dl; LDL cholesterol less than 100 mg/dl. Higher levels of good cholesterol (HDL) are protective, and when greater than 60 mg/dl are protective. By knowing these numbers, we can find out whether we need to change our diet, increase physical activity. If these lifestyle changes don't work, then medications are indicated.

For more information on cholesterol go to this site. A new cooking oil has been produced by a Japanese company that is reported to lower cholesterol. It will be interesting to see how this stands the test of time.