Cholesterol: How worried should you be with high cholesterol?
It depends!!!
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance, a lipid that helps make cell membranes structures, hormones such as oestrogen, testosterone and adrenal hormones, as well as Vit D.
The cholesterol that we need is made in the liver. We also have cholesterol in our body that comes from foods like meat, dairy as well as palm oil and coconut oil.
There are 2 types of cholesterol:
1. Low-density lipoprotein, LDL, also known as ‘bad’ cholesterol; which we want to keep at low levels.
2. High-density lipoprotein, HDL, known as ‘good’ cholesterol which we want to have at high levels.
Too much LDL and not enough HDL leads to a build-up of cholesterol in the arterial walls, especially in those arteries that feed the heart and the brain.
But that is not the whole story!
We also have other fat constituents in our body, called Triglycerides, TGs. We need and use TGs for energy.
High TGs, together with high LDLs and low HDL raise the risk of heart disease and stroke. Compared to high LDLs, high TGs pose a greater health risk and a higher increased mortality rate.
However, if we have low TGs with high HDLs, high LDLs become less problematic.
In short, we need both cholesterol and TGs but, at the right amounts. High levels cause problems but so do low levels. Low levels of cholesterol are associated with mental issues such as anxiety, depression, confusion, sleep problems, and even cancer. For pregnant ladies, low cholesterol levels can be a worry as they might cause premature delivery or low birth weight babies.
So, a healthy high-fibre diet including nuts and seeds, avocado, olive oil, plenty of vegetables, apples, berries, whole grains, oily fish, legumes, and beans… together with regular exercise, not smoking or drinking alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight, good quality sleep, reduced levels of stress…
In other words, a healthy lifestyle is all we need; the rest will take care of itself; you do what you can, and for the rest you trust the Universe!