Contents:
- Medical Video: LDL and HDL Cholesterol | Good and Bad Cholesterol | Nucleus Health
- What is cholesterol?
- Get to know the type of cholesterol
- How does cholesterol cause heart disease?
- What affects cholesterol levels?
Medical Video: LDL and HDL Cholesterol | Good and Bad Cholesterol | Nucleus Health
Many say that cholesterol is bad. But did you know if cholesterol is a natural substance that the body has? Of course cholesterol is not dangerous. Actually, what is cholesterol? If it's not dangerous, what is the function of cholesterol for the body?
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in all cells of the body. In fact, cholesterol is a substance the body needs to produce hormones, vitamin D and other important products.
Naturally, these substances are formed in organs
Get to know the type of cholesterol
Cholesterol will move through the bloodstream in a small form by binding to protein, so it is called lipoprotein. There are 2 types of lipoproteins, namely low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL).
LDL cholesterol is known as bad cholesterol, because if this cholesterol level is high it can cause fat buildup in blood vessels. Finally, various health problems arise, such as heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure.
Meanwhile, HDL cholesterol is usually considered good cholesterol because it carries fat from parts of the body back to the liver. So this good cholesterol will "clean" all the fats that are usually left in the blood vessels and organs, so that it can then be processed by the liver.
In order for you to avoid various risks of chronic diseases, you must have normal levels of LDL and HDL.
How does cholesterol cause heart disease?
Cholesterol is a natural substance in the body. But unfortunately if excessive in the blood will cause blockages in blood vessels. This condition will make the blood flow disrupted and eventually limit blood intake to the heart.
Insufficient blood intake can cause chest pain. If your blood intake is completely cut off, you will experience a heart attack.
Most conditions of high cholesterol levels initially do not cause any symptoms, so many people do not realize it. So, it's important to always check blood cholesterol.
Lowering cholesterol levels greatly helps reduce the risk of diseases and heart attacks. Even if you already have heart disease, keeping cholesterol levels under control can help increase your chances of surviving.
What affects cholesterol levels?
Some things that can affect cholesterol levels are:
- Eating foods that contain saturated fat and cholesterol increases your blood cholesterol level.
- Weight. Excess weight increases the risk of heart disease. Reducing weight can help you reduce your cholesterol level.
- Not active. A lifestyle that rarely moves is a risk factor for high cholesterol levels and heart disease. Being physically active also helps you lose weight.
Therefore, having a healthy lifestyle is a good way to control your cholesterol levels. Choose foods with low saturated fat and low cholesterol with lots of soluble fiber.
Choose lean meat, fish, skinless poultry, whole wheat, fruits and vegetables. Limit consumption of high cholesterol foods such as liver and other organ meats, egg yolks and full fat dairy products. Also, try to move as much as possible. 30 minutes of activity is recommended for everyone.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
