When is "cholesterol" useful? And how to protect yourself from damage? Electronic newspaper

Communication – Agencies:

Cholesterol has a bad reputation as a cause of heart attacks and strokes, but in reality, cholesterol is not "bad" in the absolute, where there is another type of "well".

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that the body needs to build cells, vitamin D and estrogen. The body produces a lot of cholesterol and can absorb it from rich foods in fat.

High or low density?
Cholesterol is divided into two types: a high-density lipoprotein (HDL) called "good" cholesterol.

The other type is low density lipoprotein (LDL), called "bad", "bad" or "sick" cholesterol. The higher the level of HDL cholesterol in the blood, the more it is beneficial for health because it protects the blood vessels.

Standard values
There are standard values ​​for cholesterol: total cholesterol should not exceed 200 milligrams per deciliter, while values ​​of each type are related to the presence of chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension.

LDL cholesterol should not exceed 150 mg / dL if there is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, or 100 mg / dL if there is more than one risk factor, or 70 mg / dL dL in case of diabetes or Heart crisis by.

HDL cholesterol should be greater than 40 mg / dL in men and 45 mg / dL in women.

For its part, the German pharmaceutical company Ursula Zellerberg has recommended that the values ​​of cholesterol be examined annually, taking into account the doctor's consultation if there are differences from the standard values, in order to avoid the incidence of serious diseases.

If LDL cholesterol levels remain high, the risk of atherosclerosis increases and the risk of heart attack or stroke increases.

Modified plan
To avoid this risk, the patient must first change their lifestyle and adjust their diet. Antje Gal, a German food specialist, emphasized the importance of consuming healthy fats: he had to take vegetable oils, nuts, oily fish and unsaturated fatty acids, and reduce saturated fatty acids , such as those present in foods of animal origin.

It is also important to pay attention to the hidden fat in processed foods, the fat hiding in the pizza and tartar. In addition to changing the diet, physical activity, motor skills, smoking cessation and alcohol are also necessary to reduce cholesterol levels.

If the cholesterol level is not reduced after the application of this diet for 8 weeks, the drug treatment used from the beginning should be used if the high cholesterol is due to hereditary factors, for which a lifestyle change and a change in diet will not be able to reduce it.