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CONTROLLING YOUR
BLOOD CHOLESTEROL
WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL
AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Cholesterol
is a waxy substance made naturally in the body. Your body needs some cholesterol
to work properly, and it can make all it needs.
Cholesterol may cause
problems if your body makes too much or if you get too much in your food.
The extra cholesterol can lead to blocked arteries. If an artery that
supplies blood to your heart becomes blocked, a heart attack occurs. If
an artery that supplies blood to your brain becomes blocked, a stroke
occurs.
"GOOD" CHOLESTEROL
AND "BAD" CHOLESTEROL
Not all cholesterol
is harmful. There is a "bad" kind and a "good" kind. The "bad" kind is
called LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol,
and the "good" kind is called HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein)
cholesterol. The bad cholesterol tends to block the arteries, but the
good kind helps to clear out this bad cholesterol inside the arteries.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR
CHOLESTEROL LEVELS
When you have your
blood cholesterol checked, the lab will report on three types of cholesterol
and also triglycerides. Triglycerides are the most common fats in the
diet and in the blood. If you have a high reading of LDL or triglycerides,
or a low reading of HDL, you may have a higher risk of having heart disease.
Both cholesterol and triglycerides are measured in millimoles per litre,
or mmol/L for short.
If you already have
heart disease or other risk factors, your doctor may advise you to lower
these levels even further. For example, the ideal level of LDL-cholesterol
for people with heart disease is less than 2.5 mmol/L. The following table
is a general guideline only.
TOTAL CHOLESTEROL
Ideal: less
than 5.2 mmol/L
Borderline High: 5.2
to 6.2 mmol/L
High: 6.2
mmol/L or more
HDL-CHOLESTEROL
("Good" Cholesterol)
Desired: more
than 0.9 mmol/L
LDL-CHOLESTEROL
("Bad" Cholesterol)
Ideal: less
than 3.5 mmol/L
Borderline High: 3.5
to 3.9 mmol/L
High: 4.0
mmol/L or more
TRIGLYCERIDES
Ideal: less
than 2.0 mmol/L
Borderline High: 2.0
to 3.0 mmol/L
High: more
than 3.0 mmol/L
FOODS CONTAINING SATURATED FAT AND TRANS FATTY ACIDS
Saturated fat in the diet is an important cause of high
cholesterol levels in the blood. Saturated fats are found
especially in animal foods such as meat, butter, and cheese.
They are also found in palm oil and coconut oil. Trans fatty
acids are fats produced when unsaturated oils are hardened
by hydrogenation or heated to high temperatures. They are
found mostly in some margarines, shortening and foods made
from them. Most store-bought baked goods, snack foods, cake
mixes, and frozen dinners contain either saturated fats
or trans fatty acids. You can see the fat in meats but not
in these products, so it is best to avoid these products.
FOODS
CONTAINING CHOLESTEROL
The cholesterol we eat can also add to blood cholesterol
levels. However, since all foods that come from animals
contain cholesterol,
we can't avoid getting some cholesterol if we eat meat or
dairy products. Egg yolks and organ meats like liver are
very high in cholesterol. |
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