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What is cholesterol? Have you ever thought of its importance & the contribution that it makes to one’s health?

It is very important to understand what it is. Cholesterol is produced in the liver and is a fat-like waxy substance and works to build and repair cells, it produces hormones such as estrogen and testosterone, and prepares bile acids, which has proven to be an aid in digesting fat in the body. However, Cholesterol is often thought of as a "bad thing” and if too much is in the body it is. The truth is that cholesterol also has purposes important to your overall health and body function. Every cell within the body is formed to varying degrees from cholesterol. When the cholesterol level becomes elevated, it can be hazardous.

However, if cholesterol is at an appropriate level, it plays a vital role in many functions of the body. A recent study report shows that excessive cholesterol leads to much higher risk of heart attack and/or stroke. Although there are other factors involved in this risk such as age, gender, smoking, family history of heart disease, and diabetes mellitus, higher cholesterol is a major contributing factor that should not be ignored.

Cholesterol along with some other types of fat cannot be dissolved in the blood. In order for them to be transported to and from cells, they have to be specially carried by molecules called lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are vital for cholesterol to move around the body. Mainly there two types of lipoproteins - High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL). Low Density Lipoproteins carry fats to different parts of the body. LDL carries about 60-70 percent of the cholesterol around the body and thus called "bad" cholesterol”. HDL, on the other hand, transports cholesterol from cells back to the liver. At this point, they are either reused or converted to bile acids and disposed. Therefore, HDL is called "good" cholesterol. In fact HDL actually helps fight the risk of heart attack and/or stroke.

The High Cholesterol levels are generally identified from a blood test. The symptoms seen are actually from the end-result of high cholesterol for health issues such as coronary disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.

Some cholesterol is produced in your body while eating saturated foods made from animal-based foods such as dairy meat, eggs, which are essential components in the elevation of cholesterol. Foods such as fruits, vegetables, and grains do not contain cholesterol.

Lowering your LDL cholesterol is easier to do than raising your HDL cholesterol. However, there is great benefit in bringing your HDL numbers up and even greater benefit by doing both - lowering LDL/raising HDL. However, researchers and physicians have now identified that bringing the HDL level up is just as beneficial and a natural way of fighting off bad cholesterol.

Although more difficult to accomplish, there are definite steps you can take to help raise your HDL:

Weight Loss
Exercise
B3 (Niacin)

Some studies have shown that when antioxidants are coupled with cholesterol-reducing medications such as Statin-type drugs along with Niacin, there was some level of benefit. Further research suggests that in women with high plasma levels of HDL, the risk of heart attack becomes reduced. The higher your HDL levels the better. Today, the average for women is between 50 and 55 mg/dl and for men 40 to 45 mg/dl.

To lower down and maintain a considerate cholesterol level one can acquire benefit from natural remedies like herbs like garlic, Psyllium, cur cumin, policosanol and fish oil (Omega-3), which also has a good level of influence on control cholesterol level in the blood.

The most common reason people have high cholesterol is because they consume too much fatty or saturated oil. By changing this one aspect, you could expect to lower your overall cholesterol by as much as 20%.

By changing your daily eating habit to a healthy diet comprising of the right kind of foods, you will set yourself on the path to successful general health.

The basic guidelines are to a healthy eating diet :

Stay away from "fad" or "crash" diets. Work with your physician or a registered dietician to determine the most optimal eating plan for you.

Choose foods that are higher in fiber or starch and read labels to help you avoid foods listed as containing high cholesterol.

If you are carrying around too much weight, discuss with your doctor, a healthy goal and work to reach that goal. Excess weight is another cause of high cholesterol so by changing your lifestyle to eat better and to eat the right foods, your goal can be reached. And one should also get involved with some type of exercise program. Whether you walk 20 minutes a day, do aerobics, every time you exercise, you are helping to reduce your bad cholesterol level. You may need to start slowly and build up to a more intense course of therapy.

Cholesterol & its importance