Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that your body needs to work. It is made in the liver and found in food that comes from animals, such as meat,eggs, milk products, butter and lard.

Too much cholesterol in your blood can be harmful to your body and can increase your risk for heart disease. You are at risk for high blood cholesterol if:
• Your body makes too much cholesterol
• You eat food high in saturated fats and cholesterol
• You have diabetes, low thyroid level called hypothyroidism, or
kidney disease

There are 3 main types of fats in your blood:
• Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL): This “bad” cholesterol in your blood builds up in your blood vessels. This can cause your vessels to narrow, making it hard for blood to flow.
• High Density Lipoproteins (HDL): This “good” cholesterol takes extra cholesterol in your blood back to your liver so your body can get rid of it.
• Triglycerides: Eating too many carbohydrates can increase your triglyceride level. A high triglyceride level is linked to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

What Affects Cholesterol Levels?
Diet:- Saturated fat and cholesterol in the food you eat make your blood cholesterol level go up. Saturated fat is the main culprit, but cholesterol in foods also matters. Reducing the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet helps lower your blood cholesterol level.
Weight:- Being overweight is a risk factor for heart disease. It also tends to increase your cholesterol. Losing weight can help lower your LDL and total cholesterol levels, as well as raise your HDL and lower your triglyceride levels.
Physical Activity:-Not being physically active is a risk factor for heart disease. Regular
physical activity can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol
levels. It also helps you lose weight. You should try to be physically active for 30 minutes
on most.

Health Conditions