What is Cholesterol?

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foods that cause heart disease

 

What is Cholesterol ?

 

Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance.

It is made in our livers and the rest is obtained from food. 

Cholesterol is used in the body help

 

  • Make Vitamin D
  • Maintain healthy cell membranes
  • Help make steroid hormones such as cortisol, testosterone and oestrogen and progesterone
  • As a building block to make Coenzyme Q 10 – will need an internal link. 

 

Therefore a certain amount of cholesterol is vital for your health. It is excessive cholesterol and oxidation of your LDL or “bad” cholesterol”, that it becomes a problem.

 

But why is it bad if it does all the good things above ?

 

If you make or eat too much cholesterol, then the amount circulating in your bloodstream rises.

this can then cause your arteries to become blocked.

 

This is known as atherosclerosis.

 

It is this atherosclerosis that leads to an increase in your risk of heart attacks or stroke.

 

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) , the first step to tackling diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol is “Lifestyle Change”.