A
Disease of Affluence
If statistics
are any guide, it seems that high CHOLESTEROL
is a disease of affluent people who can
afford a very rich diet without much of
physical work. For example, almost half
of American adults have blood cholesterol
levels that are higher than the ‘desirable
range’ and one in every four has levels
high enough to put them on the risk for
diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
In India too, the incidence of high blood
cholesterol is more amongst the affluent
class.
What
Is
Blood Cholesterol?
CHOLESTEROL
is a whitish waxy substance that
our body needs for maintaining the nervous
system, skin, muscles, liver, intestines
and heart.
Where
Does
It Comes From?
LIVER
CHOLESTEROL: As much as 80 percent
of blood cholesterol is made by our liver.
DIETARY CHOLESTEROL:
Only about 20 percent of total blood
cholesterol in our body comes from the foods
we eat, particularly the one that has animal
origin–meat, eggs, dairy products, fish,
and poultry. Though it accounts for only
20 percent of the total, yet it is enough
to cause serious problems.
The
‘Bad’ And
‘Good’ Cholesterol
CHOLESTEROL comes in several
varieties, some of which are ‘good’ and
others that are not good or ‘bad’.
LIPOPROTEINS:
Once CHOLESTEROL
is deposited in the blood, it
is coated with proteins called apoproteins
so that it can move around. These coated
particles form what is called LIPOPROTEINS.
THE
BAD CHOLESTEROL: Some
LIPOPROTEINS contain lots of cholesterol
and these are called Low Density Lipoproteins
(LDL) and it is the Low Density Lipoproteins
that are ‘Bad’ for our health. There is
another variety of fat-carrying particles
called Triglycerides. They are also called
Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDL) and
constitute the part of ‘bad’ cholesterol.
THE
GOOD CHOLESTEROL: The
others LIPOPROTEINS contain only protein
and are called High Density Lipoproteins
(HDL). They constitute your ‘good’ cholesterol.
When
Bad Cholesterol Becomes
A Cause of Concern?
When the liver
can’t process LDL particles for some reason
or if large numbers of LDL particles are
floating around, the blood can become overloaded
with LDL. Some of this cholesterol begins
to stick to the walls of arteries. It is
now that the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol starts
playing its role. It picks up LDL from the
artery wall and moves it to the liver for
disposal. However, when there is lot of
LDL and not enough HDL the arteries begin
to narrow from the LDL deposits. This is
the start of a disease called Atherosclerosis.
Understanding
Your Cholesterol Levels
The
following table is your ready reckoner to
watch your Cholesterol
Level :
| |
Desirable
level |
Borderline
Risk |
Undesirable
Level |
|
Total
Cholesterol
|
Below 200 mg/dL |
200-240 mg/dL |
Above 200 mg/dL |
|
LDL
Or Bad Cholesterol
|
Below 100 mg/dL |
100-160
mg/dL |
Above 160 mg/dL |
|
HDL
Or Good Cholesterol
|
Above 45 mg/dL |
35-45 mg/dL |
Below 35 mg/dL |
|
Triglycerides*l
|
Below 200 mg/dL |
200-400 mg/dL |
Above 400 mg/dL |
Only
20 % of Triglycerides count is used to calculate
the total Cholesterol Level
Dietary
Control:
