High Cholesterol Diet: A Treat or A Threat

by Samuel Ogunsola (samuel_ogunsola@yahoo.com)
The impact of taking highly nutritious food by humans cannot be over emphasized because body cells make use of the molecules present in food substances to generate energy for the body and maintain body organs. An example of these molecules is cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a group of modified steroids, found naturally in the blood. It is predominantly produced by animal cells especially in the liver for the biosynthesis of essential structural component of cells. Cholesterol is mainly found in food of animal origin such as eggs, sardines, cheese, processed meats, fried foods and desserts with plants producing very minute quantity.

Foods containing cholesterol (Source: https://www.well-beingsecrets.com/)

ADVANTAGES OF CHOLESTEROL

• Building and maintaining cell membrane: Membranes are made up of lipids and proteins that are responsible for maintaining the cell structure and functions, in between the lipids cholesterol are embedded and they are important in increasing the fluidity of the membrane and maintaining the temperature.

• Precursor molecule for the synthesis of vitamin D and steroid hormones: Cholesterol is important as a building block in making hormones such as sex hormones (testosterone, progesterone and oestrogen) and vitamin D.

• Intestinal absorption of fat molecules: The liver helps in the processing and digestion of fat molecules by producing bile; which is mainly made up of cholesterol.

• Transportation of materials within the body: Cholesterol is packaged by the liver into transporters called lipoproteins (combination of protein and lipids). They are divided into chylomicrons, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoproteins and very low density lipoproteins. They are responsible for transporting drugs, fats, vitamins and other materials along the bloodstream to the cells that need them.

GOOD AND BAD CHOLESTEROL

Good Cholesterol

High density lipoproteins are referred to as “good cholesterol” and this is because they contain large amount of protein as compared to lipids. This helps to transport large amount of cholesterol from the cells back to the liver for excretion. High density lipoprotein helps to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Foods containing good cholesterol include olive oil, beans and legumes, whole grains, high fiber fruit, fatty fish, nuts, chia seeds, avocado, red wine and soy. Apart from taking all these foods, having good exercise and moderate consumption of alcohol helps to increase HDL in the body.

Bad cholesterol

Low density lipoproteins are known as “bad cholesterol”. They contain large amount of cholesterol as compared to protein. LDL are responsible for carrying cholesterol towards the cells; this indicates the higher the level of LDL in the body the higher the level of cholesterol in the cells. High cholesterol in the body is responsible for promoting inflammation and accumulation of lipids on the surface of blood vessels in the heart, thereby limiting the transportation of blood and nutrients into the heart. LDL are responsible for increasing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Foods containing bad cholesterol include fatty beef, pork, saturated vegetable oils, packaged cookies and cakes, buttered popcorn, packaged frostings, commercially fried foods and pastries.

BAD CHOLESTEROL AND NON COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

Bad cholesterol have been confirmed to be connected with the following non communicable diseases:

Coronary heart disease: Cholesterol attached to the arteries in the blood vessels in the heart causes the blood vessels to be narrowed. This leads to reduced blood flow in the heart which causes chest pain, heart attack and death.

Stroke: High amount of cholesterol attached to the blood vessels carrying blood to the brain causes reduction in the amount of blood and oxygen flowing to the brain. This causes malfunctioning of some body parts because some parts of the brain will start dying.

Peripheral arterial disease: This refers to the death of blood vessels that are outside the heart and brain. Fatty acids attached to blood vessels along artery walls can lead to reduced blood circulation; this affect majorly arteries leading to the legs and feet and at times the kidney.

Type 2 diabetes: High cholesterol have been linked to be one of the causes of type 2 diabetes; triglycerides level in people with diabetes is high and taking high level of cholesterol will definitely increase the risk of having coronary heart disease.

High blood pressure: Narrowed blood vessels increase the pressure of blood flowing within the vessels; this leads to heart attack.

In our society today; many people love to go for foods with high cholesterol due to busy schedules at work, sweetness of the food, and ignorance of the effect of the food on their health. All the diseases listed above are part of the first 10 diseases with the highest epidemic rate in the world today.

In conclusion, a diet containing high amount of good cholesterol is a treat while the one containing high amount of bad cholesterol is a threat.