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Cholesterol
Cholesterol,
named from the Greek words meaning solid bile, is a soft,
waxy, substance that is found in everyone's body, to varying degrees.
We need cholesterol to survive, as it's used to form cell membranes
and brain and nerve tissues. Cholesterol also helps the body produce
hormones needed for body regulation, including processing food,
and bile acids needed for digestion. Your liver actually produces
all the cholesterol your body needs for these functions, so you
don't need to consume any extra through your diet.
It used to be thought that eating dietary cholesterol was a major
factor in raising potentially harmful LDL cholesterol levels in
the blood, but in recent years, studies have found that consuming
dietary cholesterol only has a small effect. Consuming large amounts
of bad fats (saturated and trans fats) has been identified as the
main culprit.
Good
and bad cholesterol
You may have heard about "bad" vs. "good"
cholesterol. Here's a simple explanation. Having high levels of
LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol in your blood is considered
bad because it can lead to a build up of plaque inside your arteries
which can block the flow of blood to vital organs. HDL (high-density
lipoprotein) cholesterol is considered good because it helps carry
LDL cholesterol from the blood to the liver where it can be naturally
eliminated. An easy way to remember the difference: think "H"
for healthy vs. "L" for life-threatening.
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