All You Need to Know About Cholesterol
One infamous word stands above the rest when it comes to health—cholesterol. Almost everyone has had experience either directly dealing with high cholesterol or having a family member deal with the condition. But what is cholesterol, fundamentally, and what approaches or treatment options are needed, if any, to manage high or unhealthy cholesterol levels?
At its most basic, cholesterol is a chemical compound that serves as a building block for all our cells and is a precursor for steroid hormones and vitamins. To more specifically define the term, cholesterol is a waxy, water-insoluble lipid with four interlocked rings of hydrocarbon called a steroid. In addition to the four rings, there are two other regions of cholesterol consisting of a hydrocarbon tail as well as a hydroxyl group. Much of the cholesterol needed is supplied naturally by the liver, and the rest is supplied by eating animal tissues or animal-based foods. Thus, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products provide the cholesterol our bodies need, while plant-based foods provide close to none. With this close association to diet, implications arise over defining the fine line between healthy cholesterol versus unhealthy cholesterol levels, and whether these food products need to be limited or engaged with more cautiously for a healthier lifestyle.
Although cholesterol is not water-soluble on its own, it is soluble enough to travel through blood when combined with fats and fat-soluble nutrients. In this arrangement, the cholesterol can be manifested through two types of lipoproteins—low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Traditionally, LDL cholesterol is considered to be the “bad” cholesterol, while HDL cholesterol is considered to be the “good” cholesterol. The reasoning behind these labels has to do with the fact that LDL cholesterol contributes to the buildup of fat in the arteries, which increases the risk for heart disease and stroke by impeding the flow of blood through arteries. Meanwhile, HDL cholesterol takes LDL cholesterol away from the arteries and to the liver, and thus, frees up the arteries, and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. A blood test can be done to measure cholesterol levels. In terms of what levels are healthy for HDL cholesterol, higher than 55mg/dL for females and higher than 45mg/dL for males is considered healthy. It is important to note that while for HDL cholesterol, generally, the higher the levels the better, for LDL cholesterol, the lower the levels the better. And so, higher than 130mg/dL is considered unhealthy for LDL cholesterol, although 100mg/dL is a better threshold if the total cholesterol is relatively high. In fact, along with HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, there are more common fats known as triglycerides, and 20% of these triglycerides are attributed in the calculation of the total cholesterol.
The most effective ways to manage cholesterol levels include going on a low cholesterol diet with less processed food and more whole food, exercising regularly, and lowering overall body fat. If these approaches by themselves fail, medication may be recommended to supplement and augment the ultimate impact of healthier lifestyle choices. Overall, it is important to keep in mind how natural and beneficial cholesterol is, to a certain extent, in terms of supporting our cells, allowing the fluidity and maintenance of plasma membranes, and acting as a mediator in vitamin and hormone production. New research has even shown that cholesterol can attach to hedgehog proteins and regulate their placement in order to control cell differentiation in a developing embryo. Regardless of the need for cholesterol, too much cholesterol, which usually has to do with the small percentage that comes from dietary choices and not the large percentage that comes from the body’s natural processes, can be problematic and contribute significantly to the accumulation of deposits on artery walls— a disease known as atherosclerosis. And so, your best bet is to healthily monitor your cholesterol levels to ensure a healthier you.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/symptoms-causes/syc-20350800
https://medlineplus.gov/cholesterollevelswhatyouneedtoknow.html
