【Cholesterol】is not bad !
Many people may think that cholesterol is "bad", but in fact, cholesterol is an indispensable part of the human body!
\\ This article is recommended as follows //
- People who want to know how cholesterol works
- People who think cholesterol is bad
- People who want to improve their cholesterol levels
Contents
1. What is cholesterol
Cholesterol is a type of "lipid".
Cholesterol and triglycerides are some of the most famous fats.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol includes LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. LDL carries cholesterol produced by the liver throughout the body, and HDL works to return excess cholesterol to the liver. By maintaining the balance between these two cholesterols, the circulation of lipids in the body can be improved and health can be maintained.
Therefore, LDL cholesterol is generally called bad and HDL cholesterol is good, but in fact, both are essential lipids for the body!
Triglyceride
The general energy to move the body is sugar, but when this sugar is insufficient, it is this Triglyceride that is used as energy. It also acts as a cushion to protect against the cold and impact.
Triglyceride is a type of fat that exists in the blood, but when the amount of triglyceride increases too much, it will be attached around the intestines and accumulated as visceral fat or subcutaneous fat. increase.
2. The role of cholesterol
Lipids, including cholesterol, have many important roles in the body.
In particular,
- It becomes a material for substances in the brain
- More than 60 trillion cell membrane materials throughout the body
- Material of sebaceous membrane
- Production of steroid hormones such as sex hormones and corticosteroids
- Bile acid material
- Vitamin D ingredients
- Eliminate toxins
- Transportation and distribution of fatty substances (LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol)
Lipids are an indispensable material for us to carry out life activities!
So if you fill your body with good quality lipids, your body will be healthy ^ ^
3. Cholesterol levels
In the first place, the imbalance of cholesterol is
LDL cholesterol too much, HDL cholesterol too low, triglyceride too much, etc. ..
If these conditions continue, it leads to arteriosclerosis, in which fat accumulates in blood vessels, and as it progresses, it leads to angina, myocardial infarction, and cerebral infarction.
Where does cholesterol come from?
It is easy to think that fluctuations in cholesterol levels are caused by food, but in fact, about 20 to 30% of the total is absorbed from food, and the remaining 70 to 80% is synthesized in the body, mainly in the liver.
In the case of healthy people, the higher the intake of cholesterol from food, the lower the amount of synthesis in the body, and conversely, the lower the intake of cholesterol from food, the higher the amount of synthesis in the body. So, the body adjusts the cholesterol in the body to be constant.
Therefore, it seems that the intake of cholesterol by food does not directly affect the blood cholesterol level.
Causes of poor cholesterol balance
Of course, if you continue to eat animal foods and cholesterol abnormally every day, the cholesterol balance will get worse, but the more problematic thing is the deterioration of liver function due to trans fatty acids, petroleum-derived chemical seasonings, food additives, etc.
The human body cannot digest and absorb these well and accumulates them as toxins in the body.
Of course, humans have the ability to detoxify toxins and excrete them out of the body, but it is the liver that detoxifies them.
If you do detoxification work without rest against the toxins that flow into your body every day, your liver will be tired and lose its function.
And, as I mentioned above, the liver is the place where cholesterol is produced & where LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol go in and out. You can imagine that cholesterol is out of balance when the liver is functioning poorly.
How to balance cholesterol levels
・Avoid trans fatty acids
It restores the liver and facilitates the elimination of toxins.
Be aware that margarine, shortening, and bread, sweets, and processed foods sold at supermarkets contain almost all trans fatty acids!
・Avoid chemical seasonings and food additives
It restores the liver and facilitates the elimination of toxins.
Like trans fatty acids, it's found in most processed foods sold in supermarkets, so it can be difficult to avoid everything, but get a good seasoning and make it as handmade as possible!
・Reduce sweet foods and drinks
Sweets do not directly affect cholesterol, but eating too much sweets increases triglycerides, which in turn increase LDL cholesterol.
Chemically produced sugars, such as white sugar, are especially dangerous.
If you really want to get something sweet, try using cane sugar, brown sugar, raw honey or maple syrup!
・Exercise regularly
Regular exercise leads to an increase in HLD cholesterol.
It is more effective to continue walking, running, and light muscle training on a regular basis, such as every day or once every two days, rather than doing a lot of exercise at once!
・Take omega 3 fatty acids
Specifically, blue-backed fish, flaxseed oil, sesame oil, etc.
Omega 3 α-linolenic acid, DHA, and EPA have the function of lowering LDL cholesterol and triglyceride and balancing cholesterol, so take them positively!
・Sometimes take good quality saturated fatty acids
Cholesterol is not bad!
Eat good quality saturated fatty acids to produce healthy cell membranes, hormones and bile acids!
Good quality saturated fatty acids include grass-fed cows and their dairy products, organic pork and chicken that are free of growth, hormones and antibiotics.
If you don't eat or have no reason not to eat, try to eat these animal meats and dairy products into your diet once or twice a week!
By the way, I am not good at meat so much, so I eat just small amount twice a week ^ ^
