http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm What is cholesterol? An overview of the basics, LDL-C,HDL-C, Hypercholesterolemia, Medication to lower, Nutrition Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT Web Easy by Avanquest Software Category : books, guidelines - Heart Health - Cholesterol control and management - Advice, Tips and Nutrition to lower cholesterol levels http://heartmonitron.blogspot.com/2010/01/whole-wheat-oats-and-bran-bread.html Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://heartmonitron.blogspot.com/2010/01/whole-wheat-oats-and-bran-bread.html#1 1- INTRODUCTION. Controlling or lowering Cholesterol levels is a constant preoccupation for those who have been diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol), atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) or told that they suffered from Coronary Heart Disease. The results they achieve in managing their cholesterol levels can sometimes vary greatly. One month, the "bad" LDL-Cholesterol measures at 81 mg/dL (2.1 mmol/L), and three months later the numbers are 132 mg/dL (3.41 mmol/L)! This can be very frustrating to either old-time or newly diagnosed cholesterolemics. Of course, maintaining a constant low level of LDL-C is imperative, given the serious health consequences of elevated cholesterol levels. On the other hand, other people constantly achieve great results in lowering their cholesterol levels. Why and how? They, of course, have mastered the basics pertaining to their condition. In order to do so, they have come to know the very nature of their ailment; they have a good knowledge of just what is cholesterol, of how it is produced in the body, and of the many ways to keep their numbers or values low. Having acquired a good understanding of how hypercholesterolemia works (its physiology), they can now master it. Actually, their blood cholesterol levels are often far better than those in the general population. Their risk ratio has also decreased considerably from the original starting level. Cholesterol is viewed as a necessary component in the building of dangerous coronary artery plaque that causes heart disease. It is really worth the effort to learn about cholesterol and about how to control LDL-C levels. http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#2 3 - WHAT IS THE UTILITY OR FUNCTION OF CHOLESTEROL IN THE BODY? a brief explanation. You may ask yourself why the body bothers making cholesterol in the first place. Actually, a SMALL amount of cholesterol is necessary. Among other things, cholesterol is necessary in the manufacture of cell membranes. It can be viewed as a building block of the cell structure. Cholesterol is also the raw material that will be used to synthesize hormones such as sexual hormones and cortico-steroids. Cholesterol is also necessary in the digestive process. The liver transforms it into bile acids that it will excrete in the intestinal tract. Those bile acids are indispensable in the digestion of lipids. So, cholesterol is necessary. But that does not mean one should have more... as if it were good for you! Only SMALL amounts are needed. The problems that we experience due to an excess of cholesterol in our bloodstream are due either to genetic factors or, especially, to our very delinquent western or North American diet. Our primitive ancestors lived on cereals, legumes, fruits and vegetables. Populations who eat mostly this type of diet are known to have very low blood cholesterol numbers or values. Their rate of heart disease is also extremely low, close to the optimal values believed to be between 50 and 70 mg/dl for LDL-C. The foods they eat is directly responsible for those ideally low numbers. We have not yet been genetically programmed to live on burgers, hot-dogs, fries, pizza, doughnuts and gallons of pop. It may be many thousands of years before natural selection turns us into beings adapted fully to an industrial fast-junk-food diet. http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#3 4 - WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF CHOLESTEROL, where is produced in the body? Many people feel that their cholesterol levels "must be" just fine since they often purchase foods that have "cholesterol free" written in bright colors on the package. In reality, while a bag of potato chips does not contain any cholesterol, since potatoes and vegetable oil are not of animal origin, the effect of a large intake of potato chips on your blood cholesterol level is surprisingly important. Those chips or fries contain exactly what your liver was waiting for to turn on its cholesterol-making machine. Even if it said "Cholesterol-Free!" on the package or box that you have bought. There are in fact two sources of cholesterol: DIETARY and DE NOVO. Dietary cholesterol is of course the one we ingest directly by eating cholesterol-containing foods such as eggs, cream, butter and meat. De Novo cholesterol is the one our own body will produce. The liver and the lining of the intestinal tract have the ability to produce new (novo) cholesterol. Saturated and trans- fats are especially notorious promoters of cholesterol synthesis by the liver; thus increasing your "bad" LDL-Cholesterol values or numbers. These are reasons why many leading cardiologists today are advocates of low-fat diets. When it comes to saturated and trans-fats, they will favour an even lower intake, since your liver is likely to turn a fraction of them into LDL-Cholesterol (the bad one). As we will see later, slowing the production of cholesterol in the liver will be one of your Doctor's options to lower your cholesterolemia. http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#4 5 - WHAT IS LDL or LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (the "bad" type of cholesterol) We have seen earlier that cholesterol, a lipid or fat, does not dissolve well in water-based solutions such as blood. How does it manage to travel in the bloodstream ? It uses a sort of "piggy-back" method. It can be bound chemically to some particles so it can then travel in the bloodstream with that particle. It can be bound, for instance, to a protein-containing particle of small density. (Cholesterol + Triglyceride + Protein). We then have a particle containing a lipid fraction and a protein fraction containing our cholesterol. We are now looking at a Low-Density LipoProtein. Hence the terms: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol or LDL-C. A low-density particle is not the best of alternatives for transporting cholesterol, as far as our arteries are concerned. It seems the nature of the particle allows it to do some harm, such as to infiltrate under the lining of the arteries and causing atherosclerotic plaque to build up. This is why LDL-C is referred to as the bad cholesterol, it causes plaque to build up inside our arteries, thereby constricting or reducing the lumen or passageway. In the heart vessels, this situation develops into Coronary Artery Disease, or simply Heart Disease. In the other arteries, such the ones in our legs, it is referred to as Peripheral Artery Disease. Cholesterol is a necessary building block of Coronary Heart Disease. 5b - VLDL or Very-low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol. (part of the "bad" type of cholesterol) A higher amount of associated triglycerides can also cause a decrease in the density of the the particle. In this case, it would be referred to as VLDL-Cholesterol. The VLDL fraction is estimated as being around one fifth of your triglyceride value. Direct measurement of VLDL can be made but this is more complicated. VLDL is considered as bad cholesterol. This is why your doctor may want to reduce your triglyceride levels. http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#5 6 - WHAT IS HDL or HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (the "good" type of cholesterol) The cholesterol fraction could, of course, also be bound to a higher density particle. We would then be looking at High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol or HDL-C, also referred to as the good cholesterol. The bond involving the high-density particle seems to be particularly strong. HDL particles do not seem to "spill their loads" all over the endothelium of our arteries. On the contrary they are deemed capable of plucking cholesterol from the arterial wall and carry it back to the liver where it can be excreted in the bile. This is referred to as "reverse cholesterol transport". This means that HDL-C is responsible for carrying cholesterol from the blood stream back to the liver for elimination. HDL can be referred to as the highly desirable fraction of the serum Total Cholesterol. SUMMARY of the main types of Cholesterol: - HDL type (generally higher protein content) - LDL type (generally higher cholesterol content) - VLDL type (generally higher triglyceride content) http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#6 7 - DEFINING WHAT IS THE CHOLESTEROL RATIO (almost by definition, the ratio is considered or used as a risk indicator) From the above, one can see that a person could have an acceptable level of total cholesterol and still be at high risk for heart problems if that total is made up mostly of LDL-C while the level of HDL-C is too low. Such a scenario is quite common. When a disorder in lipid profile (dyslipidemia) is suspected, your doctor will want to go beyond the value of total cholesterol in your blood. He/she will want to measure and assess the amount of HDL relative to LDL. He or she will order a test that will measure the amounts of each type or fraction present in your blood. From these values, the cholesterol ratio will be determined by dividing the total cholesterol by the value of the HDL. So if your total serum cholesterol was 230 mg/dl and your HDL was 45 mg/dl, 230 / 45 = 5.11. This would be a bit high. On the other hand if your total chol. were 220 mg/dl and your HDL 55 mg/dl, your ratio would be 4.0. When it comes to the cholesterol ratio: the lower, the better! Even tough there is almost no difference in the total cholesterol, the person with a ratio of 4.0 is at a much lesser risk of cardiac events than the one with a 5.1 ratio. The American Heart Association considers a 3.5 ratio as being optimum. In secondary care (secondary to having had a cardiac event), many cardiologists are pushing for an even lower number. The cholesterol ratio is also looked at as a sort of risk ratio. A short definition of the Cholesterol Ratio would be: the ratio of Total Cholesterol relative to High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol. The ratio is found by dividing Total Chol. by HDL Chol: In the equation form: Chol.Ratio = Total Chol. / HDL Chol. http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#7 From the image, above left, you can easily picture that as the composition or make-up of the lipoprotein sphere changes, so will its density. A higher protein (heavy) content will cause the density (weight/volume) to rise while a higher proportion of the lighter elements will lower its density. This also explains why the main types are later divided into sub-types. http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#8 Illustration 1: Risk decreases as LDL-C concentration decreases Illustration 2: Disease regresses as the proportion of HDL-C increases relatively to LDL-C concentration. http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#9 Graph source: The Bayer College of Medicine / lipidsonline. Their excellent and well researched collection of scientific and medical graphs and slides can be accessed at http://www.lipidsonline.org http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#10 The heartMonitron Journals - Published for Educational Purposes, only your Doctor can provide advice The hM MedJOURNALS contain articles, news and recipes relative to Health Care and Improvement, Nutrition, the Management of Coronary Heart Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, High Cholesterol, weight loss and the Maintenance of a Healthy Weight, including Computer Assisted Diet Planning and Nutrition Analysis - hM strongly recommends using the information in the articles and healthy recipes provided on this website under the professional supervision of your doctor or registered dietitian . Whether you are seeking to improve your general health, reverse heart disease, control diabetes or your weight, always assume that getting professional advice from your MD or RD is best. NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#11 Wish to comment on this topic? Use one of the blogging platforms below http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#12 For future reference, "Add Page to Favorites" or bookmark using your browser's tool bar http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#13 Just Drag and Drop your optimized recipes to quickly assemble and instantly analyze daily, weekly or monthly menu plans http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#14 Quickly edit and optimize your favorite recipes to suit your very own dietary needs, save them into your personal healthy cookbook, drag and drop them in your daily, weekly or monthly menu plan http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#15 Frequent queries and Commonly asked questions: Definition of the Cholesterol ratio - How to Define the Cholesterol ratio? - What is the definition of the Cholesterol ratio? http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#16 List of Cholesterol Drugs / Explaining How Cholesterol Medication works http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:59:11 GMT heartMonitron NGBeditor http://www.heartmonitron.com/hm_meddigest_journals_on_nutrition-_heart_and_diabetes-_cholesterol_and_healthy_weight_038.htm#17