“If you eat too many eggs, your cholesterol will be too high.”
“Everyone with a fat body will have high cholesterol. My body shape is very standard.”
Is it really?
Nowadays, because of the effects of entertainment, stress, lifestyle, etc., the number of people who have high cholesterol levels in the body is gradually increasing.
What exactly is too high cholesterol? What should I do if my cholesterol is too high? Do you want to know the best ways to lower cholesterol?
I have listed the information related to cholesterol and the recommended diet for lowering cholesterol. I hope it will be of great help to those who have doubts about cholesterol.
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that is part of the cell membrane. Most cholesterol in the body is made by the liver.
High cholesterol may be caused by genetic gene, and diet in the daily diet may also affect cholesterol levels.
The cholesterol we see on the medical report is actually a substance called “lipoprotein”, such as high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
“High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL)” transports the scattered cholesterol back to the liver for metabolism, also known as good cholesterol.
“Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL)” is easily attacked by free radicals in the blood, and further adheres to the blood vessel wall. When excessive, it may cause cardiovascular disease, also known as bad cholesterol.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL)
HDL can transport cholesterol from blood vessels and surrounding tissues to the liver for synthesis and metabolism, remove excess cholesterol in blood vessels, avoid accumulation in blood vessel walls, and have a beneficial effect on blood vessel health.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
Because of its small size, LDL is more likely to penetrate into the blood vessel wall to form atherosclerosis, which thickens the blood vessel wall and makes the blood vessel wall inelastic.
In the case of narrowing of the blood vessel channel, the blood circulation is not smooth, and in severe cases, it may even cause blood vessel blockage.
Most of the cholesterol in the diet comes from animal products, such as meat, milk fat, egg yolk, seafood, and so on.
When cholesterol in the blood is too high, it will combine with other substances in the blood to form plaques and attach to the arterial wall.
After long accumulation, it will form “atherosclerosis”, which may cause coronary artery disease and cause coronary artery diameter It becomes narrow and even causes obstruction, so it is important to check the cholesterol level regularly.
The standard of cholesterol
Too high or too low cholesterol will pose a health risk. In addition to the value of total cholesterol, you should also pay attention to whether the concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is normal.
The best value of total cholesterol is between 130 mg/dL ~ 200 mg/dL
- The average person is better than 200 mg/dL, patients with diabetes or cardiovascular disease are better than 160 mg/dL.
- 200 mg/dL ~ 239 mg/dL is slightly higher, requiring medical examination and attention to dietary intake.
- The risk of heart disease increases significantly above 240 mg/dL.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) concentration
- The normal value of HDL concentration is 40 ~ 59 mg/dL, and patients with diabetes or cardiovascular disease are better than 40 mg/dL.
- Women below 50 mg/dL and men below 40 mg/dL have an increased risk of heart disease.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) concentration
- The average person is better than 130 mg/dL, patients with diabetes or cardiovascular disease are better than 100 mg/dL.
- 130 mg/dL ~ 159 mg/dL is slightly higher, you need to see a doctor and pay attention to dietary intake.
- The risk of heart disease exceeding 160 mg/dL is greatly increased.
Which ethnic groups are prone to high cholesterol?
There are many reasons for high cholesterol. Genetics, aging, and lifestyle are all possible factors.
If you are younger but have high cholesterol, it may be genetically affected.
With the increase of age, the ability of cholesterol synthesis and metabolism will gradually decrease, resulting in increased cholesterol.
High-risk groups with high cholesterol:
Genetic influence: You have a history of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, or cardiovascular disease.
Influence of living conditions: Long-term high-stress and stress-prone situations.
Effects of dietary habits: Those who do not eat sparingly, who have eaten oil and processed food, big fish and meat, and do not exercise.
What are the symptoms of high and low cholesterol?
Most people with high cholesterol have no obvious symptoms, but when the degree of vascular obstruction becomes more and more serious, symptoms such as stenosis, myocardial infarction, and stroke may occur.
Although high cholesterol will not produce obvious symptoms, people with high blood cholesterol may have yellow tumors on their skin or white rings around the cornea.
When cholesterol is too low, the body’s resistance becomes poor. Cholesterol is a substance that repairs cell membranes, is responsible for cell structure and operation, and synthesizes hormones. If the cholesterol in the body is too low, the body will more easily feel tired, the cell’s ability to build becomes poorer, and the body’s resistance will also become worse.
Because high cholesterol has no obvious symptoms, regular visits to the hospital become particularly important.
At the same time, ways to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as diet, smoking cessation, and exercise are also very important. Only with various adjustments and cooperation can the risk of cardiovascular disease be reduced.
What should I do if my cholesterol is too high? How can I reduce/improve my cholesterol?
Excessively refined foods, trans fatty acids, and processed foods are all prone to form bad cholesterol in the body, causing thickening of the intima, a plaque of blood vessels, and narrowing of the blood vessel wall, which will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
What should I do if my cholesterol is too high? In addition to regular health checks, what other ways can I lower my cholesterol?
Exercise more
Exercise can improve the concentration of fat in the blood, reduce triglycerides, and increase high-density cholesterol. It can also improve the ability to eliminate blood fat after three meals.
Quit smoking
Smoking makes the blood thicker and easier to agglutinate, and it is more likely to cause arteriosclerosis.
Quit drinking
Drinking alcohol will increase the burden on the liver. Drinking too much alcohol will make the body’s concentration of low-density lipoprotein higher and higher, which will cause the body to have hypercholesterolemia. Prevent cholesterol from rising and pay attention to reducing alcohol consumption.
Take medicine on time
For patients who are already hyperlipidemic, the control of cholesterol-lowering drugs is very important. They should follow the instructions of physicians and pharmacists and take the drugs on time.
Instead of high-quality fats
You can choose linseed oil, pumpkin seed oil, wheat germ oil, olive oil, canola oil, black rice oil, bitter tea oil, and coconut oil to properly replace it to balance the body’s fatty acid imbalance ratio, reduce body burden, and adjust metabolism.
Relaxing
Modern Chinese people are under great pressure, and they are often in high-stress and stress-prone situations. These situations often have an impact on blood pressure and blood lipids.
Studies have indicated that chronic stress may also increase bad cholesterol. Try to relax your mood more. You can do more stress-relieving exercises on the rest day or outdoor activities to reduce your stress and relax your tense mood.
Avoid eating high cholesterol foods
Avoid excessive intake of foods with high cholesterol content: such as animal skins or offal, lard, butter, pork belly or fat, crab yolk, fish eggs, egg yolk, seafood, cream, sweets, etc.
By supplementing algae oil/fish oil and other health foods
In recent years, national health consciousness has gradually increased. In addition to improving and adjusting diets and developing exercise habits to avoid excessive cholesterol.
I will also choose to supplement algae oil/fish oil, red yeast rice, mountain bitter gourd, oats, ginseng, astaxanthin, etc.
Among various health foods, algae oil/fish oil is the most popular.
I remind you that when choosing algae oil/fish oil, please try to select those who meet the following conditions as a priority:
- Natural extraction source is better
- Recommended capsule dosage is better than tablets
- Brands that use patented raw materials are more secure
- Reassuring with SGS inspection (Western medicine, heavy metals)
- A high proportion of EPA+DHA and high concentration of Omega-3
- High absorption TG dosage form
Which foods can lower cholesterol
If the content of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the human body is high, it will increase the risk of “three highs”. What about high LDL? May wish to eat more cholesterol-lowering food.
To lower cholesterol, in addition to picking foods with less saturated fatty acids, we can usually eat more vegetables. Its rich dietary fiber can promote cholesterol metabolism in the body.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal has a soluble fiber called β-poly glucose, which is a substance that mainly destroys cholesterol and can hinder the production and absorption of cholesterol.
Soybean
Soybeans and related products such as tofu and soy milk are high-quality sources of plant-based protein. Studies have shown that soy protein and soy fiber helps stabilize blood sugar and reduce total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
Apple
Apples and other fruits rich in pectin can reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Apple also contains vitamin K1, which can also delay LDL oxidation.
Nuts
Omega-3 in nuts can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, Omega-3 can reduce low-density lipoprotein in the blood, improve the ability to clear blood cholesterol, and improve blood flow. Among the nuts, walnuts are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are representative foods.
Deep-sea fish
Omega-3 fatty acids in fish can lower blood pressure, triglycerides, and prevent stroke.
Omega-3 fatty acids can also increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) in the blood. Studies have found that letting people with normal cholesterol eat 450g of salmon a day for a month, the HDL in the body greatly increases.
Other deep-sea fish rich in Omega-3 fatty acids can also increase HDL, such as tuna, sardines, mackerel, and so on.
Tea
Drinking more than two cups of tea a day, especially green tea and oolong tea helps reduce total cholesterol and LDL.
Conclusion
I also understand that because of the dietary problems of the Chinese people, it may be difficult to achieve healthy and nutritious meals, but I also hope that everyone can choose a better way to eat and drink.
Through this compilation of cholesterol-related content, I hope that everyone can understand more about cholesterol, and hope that everyone can pay more attention to their physical conditions and avoid high cholesterol.