What is
blood cholesterol?
Blood
cholesterol is also known as blood lipids or blood fats. They are basically
fats in the blood. However, fat is not soluble in water like how oil does not
mix with water. Thus, they are carried around in capsule-like proteins so that
they can be circulated all throughout the body. Blood cholesterol has a direct
influence on the rate of metabolism. This is determined by fat density and the
type of protein with it. The density depends on consumption and emission from
the intestine and the acceptance and excretion from cells.
Blood
Cholesterol Induced Medical Conditions
Just
like any substance in the body, an abnormal level, whether it is high or low,
causes ailments, diseases or even fatality. One of the most common blood
cholesterol induced medical conditions is hyperlipidemia. It is an abnormal
elevation of the cholesterol levels in the blood. More often than not, it
causes complications like cardiovascular diseases. To prevent hyperlipidemia,
one must have a basic understanding of what is blood cholesterol. As mentioned
beforehand, blood cholesterol is fat. Fatty foods must be avoided to lessen the
risk of a lipid level upsurge.
Contrary
to what most people think, Hypercholesterolemia is not a disease. Rather, it is
a metabolic abnormality where patients cannot absorb cholesterol. This
derangement is mainly hereditary. Its counterpart, Hypocholesterolemia has a
really low level of cholesterol in the blood. It is a secondary ailment to
cancer, hemorrhage, or depression. Knowing what is blood cholesterol is
accounted to the understanding of a person of these diseases.
How to
maintain normal blood cholesterol
Other
than learning what is blood cholesterol a person must know how to maintain a
normal blood cholesterol level. Cholesterol intake depends mainly upon what
kinds of food are taken into the body. Thus, the first thing to do is to have a
background on the kinds of fats in different types of foods. It is true that
there are good fats and bad fats. Good fats are called unsaturated fats. These
are found in plants. They are frequently found in olive oil, sesame oil etc.
Bad fats are called saturated fats. Saturated fats are found in animal products
and by-products. Dairy products, poultry, beef etc. have saturated fats. They
are bad for you because their fats are in solid forms, which makes it more
difficult to digest compared to unsaturated fats that are in liquid forms.
