cholesterol Flashcards
wat is cholesterol
a soft waxy substance found among the lipids in the blood stream and in your body’s cells, it’s normal
how do you get cholesterol
your body produces some and the rest comes from your diet (meat, poultry, eggs, butter)
food from plants doesn’t contain cholesterol
how does cholesterol get transported
can’t be dissolved in blood (like other fats) needs to be transported by lipoproteins
what are the two types of cholesterol
LDL: low-density cholesterol (bad)
HDL: high-density cholesterol (good)
why do we need cholesterol
used to form cell membranes and some hormones, and serve other bodily functions
what happens when you have a too high level of cholesterol
risk for coronary heart disease, can lead to heart attack or stroke
Why is LDL cholesterol considered bad
too much LDL cholesterol can build up in the walls of the arteries that feed heart and brain. This with other substances forms plaque (thick hard deposit) that can clog arteries
= atherosclerosis
what can happen if a cloth (thrombus) forms where a plaque us
blocks bloodflow to part of heart muscle: heart attack
blocks bloodflow to part of brain: stroke
why is HDL cholesterol considered good
protects against heart attack. HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver. This slows build up of plaque
which factors can cause a high cholesterol
- smoking
- high blood pressure
- low HDL cholesterol
- too much salt in diet
- drinking too much alcohol
- overweight
- sedentary lifestyle
how is high cholesterol treated
- do regular physical activity
- healthy eating (cut down on fats, replace saturated fat with unsaturated fat)
- not smoking
- lose weight
- physical activity
- medications
diet advice for high cholesterol
- limit red meat (eat lean meat)
- reduce egg yolk
- low fat yoghurt instead of cream, etc
- broiled or roasted food instead of fried
- low fat diary products
