We hear a lot of talk about a variety of kinds of cholesterol: good, bad, HDL, LDL, VLDL, triglycerides, lipids and more. If you’re not a doctor, all somewhat confusing.

The goal of this post is to explain what LDL cholesterol is – the type that’s also known as “bad” cholesterol – and the role it plays in overall cholesterol health.

First, it’s probably a good idea to do a quick refresher on precisely what cholesterol is and the relationship between cholesterol and fat.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that circulates in the blood. The body manufactures a certain amount of it, predominantly in the liver. We get more from the food we eat. Because cholesterol is incapable of traveling through the bloodstream alone, it must attach itself to a protein. This combination is called a “lipoprotein.”

LDL stands for “low density lipoprotein.” Think of it as ”low down and lousy,” because this is the bad stuff. LDL gets stuck on the walls of the arteries, building up plaque which causes an obstruction, or “hardening of the arteries.” It can lead to a heart attack if it builds up in the coronary arteries, or a stroke if it builds up in cerebral arteries.

There’s another typeof lipoprotein that’s exactly the opposite. It’s the “good” cholesterol you hear people talking about. This type is known as HDL or “high density lipoprotein.” It’s considered to be “good” cholesterol because it attaches itself onto the bad cholesterol and carries it through the bloodstream to the liver. From there, it’s flushed out of the body.

A lot of the LDL in our diet comes from fats in the foods we eat : especially two kinds of fats. These are known as saturated fats and trans fats. You find these unhealthy fats in meat (especially the red variety), certain oils (like those used for french fries in fast food restaurants), prepackaged and processed foods, and baked goods.

When you avoid these foods and focusing on healthy choices like fruits, vegetables, and certain nuts and grains, you can lower your LDL which lowers the possibility that you’ll ever have heart disease.

The simple abbreviations LDL and HDL can be confusing, and it may be tough to remember which is good. It may help to keep in mind  that LDL stands for low density, while HDL is high density, and in this case, low is bad and high is good. Or as our cardiologist acquaintance says, “Low has got to go…”

By keeping low levels of LDL and high levels of HDL, you are increasing your overall health, and also reducing your risk of heart attack and stroke. By combining exercise and weight loss with healthful eating, you significantly increase your overall well being and keep your cholesterol at healthy levels.

When you have your cholesterol tested, your doctor will probably explain your numbers in terms of total cholesterol, HDL and LDL levels. Ideal HDL is 60 mg/dL or higher. Your ideal LDL level should be 100 mg/dL or lower. Your doctor may also give you  the relationship between LDL and HDL as a ratio. The lower the ratio of LDL over HDL, the better.

It’s important to have your cholesterol levels checked often. Research in recent years has shown that high cholesterol is becoming a serious health problem in younger and younger people. Doctors now say even teenagers and 20-somethings should have cholesterol and blood pressure checked. This is because most kids these days eat a fatty, cholesterol-rich diet and get very little exercise. Therefore, hypertension (high blood pressure) and high cholesterol are becoming health threats for younger people much more so than they were in years gone by.

If you’ve recently heard from your doctor that your cholesterol levels are too high, you’ve probably also been told it’s time to change your eating habits so you can lower them.

But you may be asking, “Exactly how do I do  that? What foods will help me lower my cholesterol? What foods can I eat? What foods should I avoid? Where do I find the information I need?”

Don’t worry. It’s not as hard to design a good diet for high cholesterol as you may think. There hundreds – possibly thousands – of readily-accessible resources at your disposal to teach you what you need to know.

But understand up front that planning a good diet for high cholesterol is not difficult. It’s actually sticking with the diet that separates those who will be successful from the “wannabes.”

Changing to a low cholesterol diet is the real challenge. But it’s important to try because cholesterol health matters. It may even be life-saving. Here’s why.

When you eat meals that result in high cholesterol, you raise your risk of developing conditions like atherosclerosis, high blood pressure and heart disease, along with a variety of other diseases and disorders. These conditions can limit your longevity along with your quality of life.

There’s no question that it’s tough stick to your diet when you’re bombarded by hundreds of advertising messages everyday inviting you to “slip.” But once you commit to lowering your cholesterol, you’ll be pleased to find out that many healthy foods taste pretty good after all.

Before looking at specific foods, let’s take a look at four different kinds of fats that come in most of the food we eat. This is important. When you know which fats are good and which fats are bad, you can choose foods that are good and avoid those that aren’t. You may not have been aware of it, but not all fats are bad. In fact, several of them are actually good for you.

First, we’ll look at the bad fats.

Saturated fats – These are typically found in animal meat (especially red meat), coconut oil, palm oil and so on .

Trans fats – This is the type of fat you get in some of our most beloved foods like baked goods (cake, muffins, doughnuts, croissants etc.). Trans fats are also used often in fast food restaurants, especially the ones that offer french fries. Many pre-packaged convenience foods contain excessive amounts of trans fats (not to mentionlots of blood pressure-raising salt).

The Good Stuff

Good fats include:

Polyunsaturated fats – These come from vegetable oils & fish oils. They reduce cholesterol when consumed moderately.

Monounsaturated fats – These come from sunflower seeds, peanuts, olive oil, etc. They actually lower your cholesterol levels.

Here are some low-cholesterol or no-cholesterol examples.

*Most fruits and vegetables. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries are especially good and can double as a dessert instead of sweets.

*Several different kinds of nuts, especially almonds and walnuts. These are handy as snacks and you can eat them several times a day (but be watchful of calories).

*Oat bran or oatmeal, certain cooked beans like pinto beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans or chick peas.

*Soy, which you get from tofu, tempeh, soymilk, roasted soy nuts.

*Many types of fish will help you reduce your cholesterol levels.
Several types of fish get high grades as cholesterol fighters. Some of the best are albacore tuna, herring, lake trout, mackerel, sardines and salmon. There’s an essential fatty acid in these kinds of fish called omega-3, which is extremely healthy. Fish also provides a lot of protein without a lot of calories.

A Final Thought

Formulating a low cholesterol diet means you have to get smart when you shop. You do it by conscientiously reading information on the labels of foods you buy – especially if it comes in plastic wrappers, metal cans or cardboard boxes.

Unfortunately, many people avoid eating a good diet for high cholesterol because they mistakenly believe it will be tasteless and boring. But when you really take a look at all the healthy – and tasty – possibilities a low cholesterol diet offers, you’ll find it can be a lot more interesting than you probably thought.

A desired breakfast selection, eggs, have had a bad reputation as a consequence of levels of cholesterol. But the fact is, eggs just don’t raise blood cholesterol in the majority of people, and they may even be good for your heart in various ways.

You may be amazed to find that dietary cholesterol, found in animal foods, increases cholesterol levels in only about 1/3 of people. And, as determined by some studies on eggs, dietary cholesterol causes the body to produce Good (HDL) cholesterol along with LDL (bad) cholesterol in these “hyper-responders,” thereby assisting to offset potential adverseeffects. Even more , the LDL particles that form are bigger in size – and bigger LDL particles are considered to be less life-threatening than smaller ones. In studies at the University of Connecticut, consuming three eggs per day for about one month increased cholesterol in susceptible people, but their LDL particles were bigger, and there was no change in the ratio between the good and bad cholesterol, which suggests no major change in risk to the hear . 

More importantly , eggs do not seem to lend to heart disease in most people. A critical thought changing study from Harvard in the late 90′s found no association between heart disease and eggs, except in people with diabetes. Studies since then have similarly vindicated eggs. The unsaturated fats and other nutrients, including B vitamins, in eggs may be favorable for heart health.

Cholesterol and New Advice

In light of these findings, suggestions related to eggs have changed over time , and cholesterol guidelines, in general, are being reevaluated. Though eggs are high in cholesterol – 210 milligrams in a large egg yolk, the American Heart Association has no specific threshold on how many eggs you can consume, as long as you limit your total cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams daily, on average (200 MG if you have heart disease, high cholesterol or other heart risk factors).

Lots of researchers believe that the AHA guidelines are too restrictive, and endorse a higher daily  threshold for cholesterol for healthy people. A more reasonable goal is 500 mg per day (but still 200 mg if you have risk factors for heart disease, including diabetes). That would allow for one egg a day, two on some days, and still leave room for other sources of cholesterol.

Seattle Fitness Trainer, Maria Faires, RD, has been lecturing about the beneficial properties of eggs to her customers for many years .  ”Eggs have all 9 essential amino acids making them one of the greatest sources of high quality protein and not as dangerous to heart health hears as previously thought.”, says Maria, who frequently creates quick and easy egg recipes for her web site.

Good for your eyes, and maybe your waistline too!

Egg yolks are a fabulous source of antioxidants related to beta carotene that may help keep eyes healthy and have also been connected to a reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration.  While your mom might have been telling you to ease up on the eggs for a while now, you may now be getting modified, and more precise suggestions from your weight loss expert.

There is some evidence that eggs promote satiety, due partially to their protein. In a new study in Nutrition Research, when the people being studied ate scrambled eggs for breakfast, they felt fuller subsequently and consumed considerably  fewer calories over the remainder of the day, compared to when they ate a typical english muffin breakfast with the same number of calories.

Of course,it is critical for you to find a physician and schedule routine visits to test your cholesterol, especially if you were diagnosed as having high cholesterol.

Millions of people all across the globe have trouble with high cholesterol. It is a issue that is frequently very easily treated with a prescription cholesterol reducing drug. Unfortunately, these kinds of drugs may be sometimes beneficial or harmful to certain people. The easiest method to discover which medication meets your needs is to confer with your health care professional. You should also be proactive and  read as much data as you possibly can related to the offered cholesterol decreasing prescriptions. With all of this information it really is in the end for you to decide which medications you want to use to help keep your high cholesterol levels manageable.

Just what cholesterol reducing drugs are available on the market right now?

You’ll find a number of various cholesterol reducing prescription drugs available on the market these days. Among these are Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Lescol, Mevacor, and Crestor. All of these medicines are related in many ways, as they assist in combating high cholesterol levels. Most of these cholesterol reducing drugs have secondary effects though. Almost all these drug treatments carry along many side-effects which can not be dismissed. Another significant matter when choosing a cholesterol medicine is to take into consideration what elements you are allergic to and which one will best suite an individual. Also, it is vital to consider doctor suggestions on which medicines will best suitable for your body. There are a few all natural cholesterol reducing drug treatments on the market. Cholestasys, one of the most well regarded, helps to manage healthful levels of cholesterol because of a specialized combination of all-natural herbal ingredients which includes plant sterols and garlic. One of many attractions of a product such as Cholestasys is the fact it is natural and the components haven’t any negative side effects.

Just what problems do cholesterol lowering drugs present?

Besides the many side-effects that many cholesterol medicines bring about there are some additional far more severe concerns while addressing cholesterol lowering medications. Some research has found that lots of cholesterol prescriptions (statins) could potentially cause possible damage for the individual using them. Some of these prescriptions result in a decreasing in Coenzyme Q10 otherwise known as CoQ10. This specific deficiency can lead to much more severe cardiovascular illnesses. Understand not every single affected individual treated with these types of drugs ends up struggling with the lack of CoQ10. Additional studies have shown that cholesterol lowering medicines might cause many cancers to spread more rapidly. Research has revealed that cholesterol medication may cause an imitation of the development associated with malignant tumors and actually help cancer develop.  Statis and high cholesterol levels have both also been linked to forms of arthritis such as gout.  However, these studies are only trials, and not hardcore facts.

So, the best course of action is to consider all your options and together with your doctor make the choice best suited for you.  The most important thing you can do is to remember that it is your health, so be sure to take a very active role in the treatment you choose.