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What is cholesterol and what are its types?

  • Posted on- Jan 20, 2014
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Cholesterol is a liquid type waxy fat made in the liver and other cells of the human body and is found in certain food such as red meat, dairy products like milk, eggs, and other food made from animals. The cell walls present in these substances need cholesterol in order to build certain kind of hormones and vitamins. The bile acids found in them helps digest fat. But the body needs only a limited amount of cholesterol to meet its needs. When an excess of cholesterol is present in human body it can cause a great damage to the heart and also the functioning of the whole body.

Cholesterol: The main cause of Heart Disease

When cholesterol is present in excess in the body of humans, plaque forms up in the body's arteries which decreases the space between the arteries and thus preventing the blood to flow from them. With the passing of time this build-up can cause a disease named atherosclerosis which hardens the arteries of the heart leading to heart diseases such as heart attack.

When the blood that does not contain oxygen or contains very less amount of oxygen in it, reaches the other parts of the body, it can damage the body parts.

Types of Cholesterol

Cholesterol is transferred to different parts of the body through the blood attached to protein this combination of cholesterol and protein is termed as lipoprotein. Lipoproteins are classified into three varieties which we have tried to distinguish below. The quantity of these proteins depends as to how much fat in the ratio of these proteins is present in the body.

Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)
Low density lipoproteins are also known as "bad" cholesterol, which can cause a layer of plaque on the arteries. The more low density lipoproteins are present in the blood, the greater a person will be at the risk of a heart disease.


High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)
High density lipoproteins are also termed as good cholesterol as they help the body to get rid of all bad cholesterol present in the blood. The higher the level of high density lipoproteins cholesterol, the better it will be in terms of human health. If the levels of the high density lipoproteins are low then there tends to be a high risk of heart diseases.

Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL)
Very low density lipoproteins are similar to low density lipoproteins, the only difference between them is that they contain more fats in them.

Triglycerides
Triglycerides are those types of fats that are carried in the body by the blood. Excess sugar present in the body is converted into triglycerides which get stored in all the cells containing fat throughout the body. Finding the Best High Cholesterol Treatment For most people, the first high cholesterol treatment is try changing their lifestyles in three different ways, and that can be done as follows:-

  1. Eating better
  2. Maintaining or losing weight 
  3. Exercising

By following these steps and making a proper time schedule for your exercise regimen and keeping a check on what you eat one can live a healthy life by decreasing the amount of cholesterol produced by the body. Avoid foods with too much oil as that is the main cause of increased cholesterol.

Try exercising 5 times in a week giving rest to your body. Sleep properly and avoid not sleeping as improper sleep can also affect your heart in many ways. Apply all these in your daily life to avoid cholesterol and other disease related problems.

Comments

user profile image
16-11-2017 06:07 AM

Can you suggest any doctor who can check my cholestrol level and help to improve it.

user profile image
30-07-2014 07:33 AM

This information was new to read. Was having no idea about good and bad cholestrol.

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