Cholesterol
Prepared By:
Chra nabaz
Supervisor:
Mr. Ardalan
2020-2021
Table of Contents
Summary ............................................................................................... 1
Overview ............................................................................................... 1
Introduction: .......................................................................................... 2
What is cholesterol? ............................................................................... 2
Good cholesterol and bad cholesterol ....................................................... 2
What causes too much bad cholesterol? ..................................................... 3
Cholesterol in foods ................................................................................ 4
How do I know if I have high cholesterol? ................................................. 4
Types of cholesterol ................................................................................ 4
Measuring cholesterol ............................................................................ 4
What are HDL, LDL, and VLDL? ................................................................. 5
Causes of high cholesterol ....................................................................... 5
Treatment for high cholesterol................................................................. 6
How is high cholesterol diagnosed? .......................................................... 6
CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 7
Reference .............................................................................................. 8
Summary
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Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in your blood. There are two main types – known as
good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL).
To reduce your levels of ‗bad cholesterol‘, choose a variety of foods from the five food
groups, and limit sugary, fatty and salty takeaway meals and snacks.
Replace foods containing saturated fats and trans-fats with those that contain polyunsaturated
and monounsaturated fats by choosing healthier fats and oils such as olive or canola oil, nuts,
seeds, fish and avocado.
Include foods containing fibre by choosing vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, nuts and seeds
every day.
Have your cholesterol and triglycerides checked by your doctor regularly.
Overview
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Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in your blood. Your body needs cholesterol to build
healthy cells, but high levels of cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease.
With high cholesterol, you can develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels. Eventually, these
deposits grow, making it difficult for enough blood to flow through your arteries. Sometimes,
those deposits can break suddenly and form a clot that causes a heart attack or stroke.
High cholesterol can be inherited, but it's often the result of unhealthy lifestyle choices,
which make it preventable and treatable. A healthy diet, regular exercise and sometimes
medication can help reduce high cholesterol.
The earlier you try to start making healthy lifestyle choices, the better off you can be as you
get older. Think about making small changes now that will lead to big changes years later.
It‘s like a train altering its course slightly, which leads to a big difference in its final
destination.
This is particularly true when it comes to high cholesterol.
Cholesterol is a fatty substance your liver makes. It‘s also found in certain foods. Your body
needs some cholesterol to function properly. But having too much of the bad type of
cholesterol — LDL — puts you at risk for having a heart attack or stroke.
Cholesterol in your bloodstream can build up in blood vessel walls, causing blockages that
can lead to:
reduced blood flow to the heart and increased risk for heart attack
decreased blood flow to the brain and increased risk for stroke
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, having
high cholesterol raises your risk for heart disease.
Your total cholesterol level is the overall amount of cholesterol found in your blood. It
consists of:
low-density lipoproteins (LDL)
high-density lipoproteins (HDL)
triglycerides
LDL is also called ―bad‖ cholesterol because it blocks your blood vessels and increases your
risk for heart disease. HDL is considered ―good‖ cholesterol because it helps protect you
from heart disease. The higher your HDL, the better.
Finally, total cholesterol includes a triglycerides count.
High levels of triglycerides and low levels of HDL raise your risk for heart disease.
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Introduction:
If you‘re reading this, you probably care about health and the role that cholesterol can play.
That‘s an important first step.
So, what is cholesterol? What does it do?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance. It‘s not inherently ―bad.‖ In fact, your body needs it to build
cells. But too much cholesterol can pose a problem.
Cholesterol comes from two sources. Your liver makes all the cholesterol you need. The
remainder of the cholesterol in your body comes from foods derived from animals. For
example, meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products all contain cholesterol, called dietary
cholesterol.
Those same foods are high in saturated and trans fats. Those fats cause your liver to make
more cholesterol than it otherwise would. For some people, this added production means they
go from a normal cholesterol level to one that‘s unhealthy.
Some tropical oils – such as palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil – can also trigger your
liver to make more cholesterol. These oils are often found in baked goods.
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty, waxy substance mainly produced in your liver. It is also found in some
foods like red meat and full-fat dairy products. Your body needs cholesterol to help make
cells. Cholesterol is also needed for digestion and helps to make important hormones and
vitamin D. There are two types of cholesterol – one is good and the other is bad. To be
carried around the body, cholesterol joins with proteins in your blood. When good cholesterol
combines with protein it is called high-density lipoprotein (HDL). When bad cholesterol
combines with protein it is called low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
Good cholesterol and bad cholesterol
Good cholesterol is good because it helps to break down and recycle or get rid of your bad
cholesterol. Bad cholesterol is bad because too much of it can cause fatty patches to build up
along the walls of your arteries. These patches can cause your arteries to become narrow or
blocked. This makes it difficult for your arteries to carry blood around your body. Depending
on which arteries are affected, this can lead to a heart attack or stroke. To reduce your risk of
serious health problems, you should have a low level of bad cholesterol in your blood and a
higher level of good cholesterol.
HDL Cholesterol (Good)
LDL Cholesterol (Bad)
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What causes too much bad cholesterol?
Some people naturally produce too much cholesterol. This is more common if there is a
family history of high cholesterol. Good and bad cholesterol is also found in food. Good
cholesterol comes from things like eggs, liver and fish. Bad cholesterol comes from foods
that are high in saturated fat. These include fatty meats, dairy products, palm and coconut oil
and processed foods. Eating too much of these kinds of foods can result in high levels of bad
cholesterol.
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Cholesterol in foods
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A report from Harvard Health has identified 11 cholesterol-lowering foods that actively
decrease cholesterol levels:
oats
barley and whole grains
beans
eggplant and okra
nuts
vegetable oil (canola, sunflower)
fruits (mainly apples, grapes, strawberries, and citrus)
soy and soy-based foods
fatty fish (particularly salmon, tuna, and sardines)
foods rich in fiber
Adding these to a balanced diet can help keep cholesterol in check.
The same report also lists foods that are bad for cholesterol levels. These include:
red meat
full-fat dairy
margarine
hydrogenated oils
baked goods
How do I know if I have high cholesterol?
If your doctor is concerned about your cholesterol level you will need a blood test. This
measures the levels of good and bad cholesterol and other fatty substances (triglycerides) in
your blood. The doctor will also look at information on other risk factors like your age, sex,
weight, blood pressure, ethnicity, family history and if you smoke. Together with the blood
test results, this information is used to tell you if you are at a low, medium or high risk of
heart disease or stroke
Types of cholesterol
The two main types of blood cholesterol are:
 low-density lipoprotein (LDL) –
also known as ‗bad‘ cholesterol because it can add to the build-up of plaque
(fatty deposits) in your arteries and increase your risk of getting heart disease
 high-density lipoprotein (HDL) –
also known as ‗good‘ cholesterol because it can help to protect you against
coronary heart disease.
In healthy people, it is normal to have more of the ‗bad‘ LDL cholesterol than the ‗good‘ HD
L cholesterol, but aim to keep your LDL cholesterol down and HDL cholesterol up.
Measuring cholesterol
Most people with high cholesterol feel perfectly well and often have no symptoms. Therefore
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, the best way to find
out if your cholesterol is high is to have a blood test. Ask your doctor for more information.
What are HDL, LDL, and VLDL?
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HDL, LDL, and VLDL are lipoproteins. They are a combination of fat (lipid) and protein.
The lipids need to be attached to the proteins so they can move through the blood. Different
types of lipoproteins have different purposes:
HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein. It is sometimes called "good" cholesterol because it
carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. Your liver then removes
the cholesterol from your body.
LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein. It is sometimes called "bad" cholesterol because a
high LDL level leads to the buildup of plaque in your arteries.
VLDL stands for very low-density lipoprotein. Some people also call VLDL a "bad"
cholesterol because it too contributes to the buildup of plaque in your arteries. But VLDL and
LDL are different; VLDL mainly carries triglycerides and LDL mainly carries cholesterol.
Causes of high cholesterol
Some causes of high blood cholesterol include:
low intake of foods containing healthy, protective fats – this
increases your intake of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which tend to increase th
e HDL cholesterol in your blood
high intake of foods containing saturated fats and trans-fats –such as fatty meats, full-fat
dairy products, butter, coconut oil, palm oil and most deep fried takeaway foods and
commercially baked products, such as pies, biscuits, buns and pastries. Foods high in transfats include most commercially baked products and deep-fried takeaway foods
low intake of foods containing fibre – foods that are high in dietary fibre, particularly
soluble fibre, can reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol in your blood. Include fibrecontaining foods in your diet by choosing vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, nuts and seeds
every day.
cholesterol in food (dietary cholesterol) – this has only a small effect on LDL cholesterol
(saturated fats and trans-fats in food have a much greater effect). You can include some
cholesterol-rich foods, such as offal (liver, pâté and kidney) and prawns, as part of a healthy,
balanced diet low in saturated fats and trans-fats. You can also eat up to six eggs a week as
part of a healthy, balanced diet low in saturated and trans-fats, without increasing your risk of
heart disease
Genetics – your family history may affect your cholesterol level. Some people will have high
cholesterol even if they follow a healthy, balanced diet low in saturated fats and trans-fats.
These people may need to take cholesterol-lowering medicine as prescribed by their doctor.
Healthy eating tips and cholesterol
The best starting point for a healthy diet is to eat a wide variety of foods from each of the five
food groups, in the
amounts recommended. This helps maintain a healthy and interesting diet, and provides a ran
ge of different
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nutrients to the body. Eating a variety of foods promotes good health and can help reduce the
risk of disease.
The five food groups are:
fruit
vegetables and legumes/beans
lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, legumes/beans
grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and high fibre varieties
milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives, mostly reduced fat.
Treatment for high cholesterol
Making lifestyle changes, especially changing some of the foods you eat, and exercising, are
very important to help reduce high LDL cholesterol. You may also need to take cholesterollowering medicines, such as statins, to help you to manage your cholesterol
and reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Talk to your doctor about finding the
most appropriate treatment for you.
How is high cholesterol diagnosed?
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There are usually no signs or symptoms that you have high cholesterol. There is a blood
test to measure your cholesterol level. When and how often you should get this test depends
on your age, risk factors, and family history. The general recommendations are:
For people who are age 19 or younger:
The first test should be between ages 9 to 11
Children should have the test again every 5 years
Some children may have this test starting at age 2 if there is a family history of high blood
cholesterol, heart attack, or stroke
For people who are age 20 or older:
Younger adults should have the test every 5 years
Men ages 45 to 65 and women ages 55 to 65 should have it every 1 to 2 years
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CONCLUSION
In this article the authors explored the cholesterol and made it easy to understand to
the readers. All types of cholesterol were discussed separately and their impacts on human
health were discussed. The authors also explained the biosynthesis of cholesterol in the
body. A lot of genes were explored by the authors and their functions were summarized.
The authors also listed a number of drugs used to reduce cholesterol and a number of
natural foods used for the same purposes. It is now the duty of the fellow researchers to
come forward and explore the other genes that take part in cholesterol regulation.
Moreover they should also try to discover safer drugs that can bring down the cholesterol to
normal level. Medicinal plants and natural food should be explored to reduce the
cholesterol. Much attention is required to reduce the cholesterol as it is related to
cardiovascular disease. The lowering of cholesterol will definitely reduce the rate of
blockage, stroke and death rate.
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Reference:
1. Freeman, M., & Junge, C. (2005). The Harvard Medical School guide to lowering
your cholesterol (1st ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
2. Ledesma MD, Abad-Rodriguez J, Galvan C, Biondi E, Navarro P, Delacourte A,
Dingwall C and Dotti CG, EMBO Reports, 2003; 4(12): 1190-1196.
3. Brown MS, Goldstein JL (May 1997). "The SREBP pathway: regulation of
cholesterol metabolism by proteolysis of a membrane-bound transcription factor".
4. https://www.healthline.com/health/high-cholesterol/levels-by-age
5. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/symptomscauses/syc-20350800
6. https://medlineplus.gov/cholesterol.html#:~:text=Cholesterol%20is%20a%20waxy%2
C%20fat,all%20the%20cholesterol%20it%20needs.
7. chss.org.uk/documents/2013/08/e1_essential_guide_cholesterol_pdf.pdf
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