Understanding Good and Bad Cholesterol

by Alison Palmer | More from this Blogger

03 Feb 2007 02:01 PM

Most of us have heard that cholesterol is bad. Some of us have heard rumors that it can actually be good. Good and bad are nice labels for a complicated problem. Like most things in life, it's not a matter of black and white. It's all shades of gray.

I'll give you the basics and make it as simple as I can. From there it turns into a tricky balancing act.

Here it is:

LDL=Bad

HDL=Good

LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol is the kind that sticks to the arteries in your heart and brain. It builds up and forms nasty blockages that can cause heart attacks and strokes. If you eat too much LDL cholesterol (or if you have a genetic tendency to create too much of your own) that's bad.

HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol is like nature's balancing system against the bad stuff. It doesn't stick where it shouldn't and even seems to help clear the LDL away without letting it stick either. Good.

So the overall goal of cholesterol nutrition is to keep you blood work showing a low LDL and a high HDL. This combination seems to give the lowest risk of heart disease and other nasty complications. As far as scientists can tell it's a yin-yang balance thing.

Now, the shades of gray. Too much is still too much, no matter which kind it is. Aside from LDL and HDL, you are also tested for total cholesterol. If you have your blood drawn and this number is too high, it doesn't matter whether it's from LDL or HDL (although it generally is LDL) your risk for heart disease goes back up.

Now, before you say "That's it, I'll just refuse to eat fats and cholesterol, then I won't have to worry about balance, good or bad", let me remind you that there is good. Your body needs some fat to function properly and even makes it's own if we neglect to give it enough. Let's just try to learn how to stay on the teeter-totter.

The first things you need to look at are exercise and fiber. These two things can help a lot without having to figure out if your food wears a white or black hat.

Next, quit smoking and drinking.

Finally, figure out who the good guys and bad guys are. In general, the good guys in white hats are called "unsaturated fat". The bad, black-hatted LDLs show up on the food label as "saturated fat". Learn to play nicely with the naughty kids on the block, but you don't have to invite them over every day. If you have a choice, choose unsaturated.

If you've tried all these tricks and your total or LDL cholesterol blood count is still too high, you may need to work with your doctor on finding medications to help you.

Related Articles:

Ten Questions To Ask Your Doctor About Heart Disease

The Facts About Cholesterol

Make Your Favorite Foods Healthier

Learn more about Alison Palmer

Writing is Alison's favorite past time, but you can also frequently find her reading, playing piano, cooking, taking long walks, sewing, or playing with her family.

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rents25 (105) 05 Feb 2007 09:08 AM

Alison,

Just finished reading your article and found it informing. Thanks!

I've also read literature on the Eskimos having Cholesterol in the 300's...yet no heart disease and very little cardiovascular damage. They're linking it to their diet being rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which science has found to be very beneficial to our bodies (cardiovascular health, brain and neurological health, skin health, etc). I've always held the opinion that it's not the amount of cholesterol, but the amount of damage that it causes that counts. The eskimo population seems to prove this out.

Additionally, there's the "French Paradigm". This is where they studied the French population and found low incidence of heart disease there as well despite a diet rich in fat. They linked it to a glass of wine a day (well, not really, it was found it was the anti-oxidants in the wine that were beneficial) that helped combat heart disease.

Do you know if science has made a direct link from levels of cholesterol and heart/cardiovascular disease, or is there just "a relationship". Is there any recent studies on diet and cholesterol relationships?

Also, I'm wondering if it's multifactorial. Cholesterol certainly plays a part, but how about stress, environment, diet, genetics and other factors that can't really be measured but we all know are present? What are your thoughts there?

I totally agree our bodies are temples. We should be taking care of them. Eating right is important...and difficult to maintain, eh? Personally, my cholesterol was 267 despite me slender, active, eating relatively well and relatively unstressed. Hmmmmmmmm. Also, I'm not crazy about the side effects of the cholesterol medications on the market, so have started supplementing with Omega 3 and anti-oxidants and found my numbers to drop dramatically, especially triglycerides.

Oh happy day!! No bad side effects and improved health with reduced risk!! There's a good deal!

Levi

Alison Palmer (269) 05 Feb 2007 10:19 AM

Goodness that's a lot of questions! Certainly more than I can give a reply to here. Watch my blog over the coming weeks, and I'll do my best! Statistics and research can be tricky things, since you can make numbers say just about anything you want, so I try to stay away from definate conclusions unless I can pull up the evidence from multiple, reputable studies. You are definately on the right track with your Omega-3's, though, good job! Alison