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What Is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is one type of fat found in the body. Cholesterol has an essential function for the body. However, if the levels exceed normal limits, cholesterol will accumulate in the blood vessels and form plaques that can clog the blood vessels.
Cholesterol is a familiar word in our daily life. Fear of cholesterol is also why many people are afraid to eat certain foods. But actually, not many people know about cholesterol and its effects on health.
There are two types, namely blood cholesterol and cholesterol from food. Cholesterol from food is found in foods and only comes from animal products. This is because the animal's body naturally produces substances such as fat.
When we eat foods of animal origin (eggs, meat, seafood), we ingest the cholesterol produced by the animal's body. Meanwhile, food ingredients derived from plants do not contain cholesterol.
Although we do not eat animal products, we will still have cholesterol in the body. This is because the liver produces cholesterol needed for various functions, including making hormones, vitamin D, and substances to digest food.
Although the function of cholesterol is important, it is not classified as an essential nutrient (added from food), such as vitamin C or potassium. This is because our bodies already produce the necessary cholesterol. In other words, you should limit foods containing cholesterol.
You may have often heard of these two types of cholesterol, the good (HDL) and the bad (LDL). HDL and LDL are carriers of cholesterol called lipoproteins. HDL is called good because it works to take cholesterol that sticks in the blood vessels and is brought back to the liver to be removed from the body.
LDL, on the other hand. Too much of this type of cholesterol can cause plaque buildup and make blood vessels narrow or clogged. The effect is a heart attack or stroke.
In the past, experts said that cholesterol from food would increase cholesterol levels produced by the body. This condition is dangerous because too much cholesterol increases the risk of a heart attack.
For years, nutritionists in the US have recommended limiting dietary cholesterol to no more than 300 mg daily. One egg yolk contained 185 mg, in 3 ounces of shrimp contained 130 mg, and in 2 ounces of lean meat contained 60 mg of cholesterol.
But in his latest report, nutritionists no longer consider it necessary to limit cholesterol in food. This is because research shows no strong link between dietary cholesterol consumption and blood cholesterol levels.
Although cholesterol from food does not directly increase cholesterol levels in the blood, this is not the case with food sources of saturated fat.
The new nutritional guidelines suggest that if we want to eat cholesterol-rich foods like eggs, we should also eat nutritious plant foods like vegetables or avocados. Also, combine with fruits, sweet potatoes, or other sources of fiber.
And those were the 5 things about cholesterol that you need to know, that's enough and thank you.
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