At my last annual physical exam my doctor found that I had a very high level of cholesterol. At the time, I didn’t know a lot about cholesterol, but, since he said my numbers were high enough to be dangerous, I though it was time to learn all I could. After a lot of reading and asking questions, I’m now quite familiar with the reasons that your cholesterol level is so important. Hopefully, I can now explain to you why controlling your cholesterol levels is vital. Perhaps you will also understand why limiting, or eliminating, foods high in cholesterol is vital.
Your body requires cholesterol for a variety of functions. You cells use it like mortar to bind them together to make tissue. It also makes digestion possible when your body turns it into bile acid and dumps it into your intestines.
Most, or, more often, all of the cholesterol you require is made in your liver. From there, it is carried by an enzyme called low density lipoproteins, or LDL, to your cells. A signal tells the LDL when a cell has enough cholesterol, and it just moves on.
Problems arise when the LDL has cholesterol left over at the end of it’s trip. To get rid of the extra cholesterol, the LDL deposits it on the inner wall of an artery. Sooner or later, the deposits will choke off the artery, starving the tissue that is further down. This is a major cause of strokes and heart attacks.
I understand that this article is very basic. It is meant only to get you to thinking about the problem, and, perhaps, look into your cholesterol level.
Disclaimer: This posting is based on information readily available in the popular press and medical journals that deal with high cholesterol levels. Nothing herein is to be or looked on as any type of medical advice. For medical advice people should visit with his or her personal physician or other medical specialist.
