Cholesterol: Good and Bad
We live in a "free" world, free of whatever it can be free of. And this freedom has no price. It feels like we have reached the era where we become more aware of our health conditions and the era of everything that is free. Come to a local grocery and scan every available product and you will see what it means.
The bread you eat is bromate-free; your yoghurt is fat-free; your cooking oil is cholesterol-free; your canned soup is preservative-free; and this list has no ending. You won't be able to find any commodity that is not -free. But it's not that bad. Nutritionists encourage us to think more about the foods we eat and the nutrients that we get from them. At the same time, eating everything that is –free is not healthy. Human bodies need certain additives to be able to function well.
Two Types of Cholesterol
Take a look at cholesterol for instance. It's a fatty substance which is easily defined, that occurs naturally in the blood, cell walls, and most body tissues. Cholesterol is produced by the liver, and it gets into your body via foods rich in saturated fat.It is commonly assumed that there are two types of cholesterol found in our bodies - good and bad one. Cholesterol has a good side because it is needed for certain crucial body functions. Anon the contrary, cholesterol also has an evil side and when present in huge amounts, it can damage blood vessels, cause heart attacks, and stroke.
"Low density lipoprotein" is considered to be "bad" cholesterol. This substance forms harmful fatty buildup in arteries and the higher this type of cholesterol levels in the blood, the greater the heart disease risk. On the contrary, "high density lipoprotein" is the "good” cholesterol. This type of cholesterol carries blood cholesterol back to the liver, where it can be eliminated. It helps to prevent a cholesterol buildup in blood vessels but the shortage of it increases heart disease risk.
Taking all this into account please remember that cholesterol is essential for human life in case you go into your cholesterol deprivation program. It is responsible for significant processes in cells, it builds, repairs and even produces sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone, it is converted to bile acids to help you digest food and it is found in large amounts in brain and nerve tissue.
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