Types and functions of cholesterol? Can eating too much starch cause high cholesterol? Does diet control work?
Types and functions of cholesterol? Is food cholesterol good or bad?
The fats in the body’s blood are collectively called “plasma lipids”, and their components include neutral fats, phospholipids, cholesterol, free fatty acids, etc. Among them, phospholipids are the main components of cell membranes, and cholesterol is an essential precursor for the synthesis of cholic acid and sterol hormones. Lipoproteins are generally divided into four categories based on structure and density: chylomicrons, very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and high-density lipoproteins (HDL).
The production and metabolism mechanism of cholesterol is quite complex. There are two main sources of cholesterol in the human body: endogenous and exogenous. Endogenous cholesterol is related to personal constitution and genetic inheritance; exogenous cholesterol comes from daily dietary intake. About 75% of cholesterol in the human body is produced by the liver and other cells, and the remaining 25% is obtained from food.
It is worth noting that the cholesterol contained in food has a fixed chemical structure and is not classified as “good” or “bad”. Only after it is produced by the liver and processed by the body can it be differentiated into VLDL, LDL and HDL. VLDL transports neutral fat and cholesterol from the liver to tissues throughout the body. HDL exchanges lipids with VLDL and LDL and is responsible for recycling excess cholesterol in peripheral tissues and arterial walls. Its function is like a “garbage truck” that recycles and collects garbage. Known as good cholesterol. Too much LDL can easily accumulate on the blood vessel walls and cause arteriosclerosis, which is called bad cholesterol.
Is high cholesterol innate? Can eating too much starch raise cholesterol?
Normal people’s cholesterol is in a state of metabolic balance. The cause of hypercholesterolemia is related to the body’s “production” and “processing” speed. Most high cholesterol is due to “processing” functional problems, including insufficient “enzymes” that break down chylomicrons and triglycerides, poor liver recycling function, severe oxidative inflammation in the body, and insufficient HDL production, which may lead to elevated cholesterol. Human metabolic function is affected by body constitution and genes, and some cases of hypercholesterolemia are closely related to family inheritance.
Another important factor that affects cholesterol is “blood oil”. The fatty acids released after the lysis of fat cells will be synthesized with glycerol into triglycerides (TG). Once there are too many triglycerides, the main VLDL particles will After lipid exchange with LDL and HDL, more tiny, dense particles of low-density cholesterol (Small Dense LDL-C) will be formed, which will increase the body’s consumption of HDL and indirectly cause more LDL to accumulate on the artery wall.
The body’s triglycerides are highly related to diet. Excessive intake of fried foods, sweets, saturated fatty acids and large amounts of starchy foods may increase lipogenesis, leading to an increase in blood triglycerides and affecting LDL and HDL. of normal metabolism.
What are the symptoms of cholesterol? Should we be alert to senile rings and lipoma?
High cholesterol is regarded as the “silent killer” of cardiovascular disease. You will not notice it at ordinary times. When triglycerides exceed 500, acute pancreatitis will occur. It usually occurs after drinking alcohol or having a large meal. In addition, if white rings (senile arcus) appear around the pupils, or “xanthoma” appears on the upper and lower eyelids, or “xanthoma” appears on the back of the heel and the tendons are swollen, you should pay attention to whether you have high cholesterol problems. .
Family inheritance is an important risk factor for high cholesterol. If the male elder in the family has a family history of early-onset stroke, myocardial infarction or sudden death before the age of 65 and the female elder is 55 years old, special attention should be paid to “familial hypercholesterolemia” (FH) risk. This is a hypercholesterolemia disease caused by lesions in the low-density lipoprotein receptor gene. It is divided into “homozygous” (HoFH) and “heterozygous” (HeFH). Patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia may even He died suddenly from cardiovascular disease before the age of 20.
Clinically, patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia have LDL greater than 190 mg/dl, while those with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia may have LDL as high as 4-500 mg/dl. Patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia may develop coronary heart disease, stroke, and myocardial infarction earlier in their 40s and 50s. Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia can easily cause stenosis at the base of the aorta, leading to sudden death from cardiovascular disease at a very young age.
Approximately 1 in 4 adults in Taiwan over the age of 18 suffer from hyperlipidemia. In addition to diagnosing patients early, doctors will also provide treatment with drugs of different mechanisms to help patients control cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Cholesterol standards vary from person to person? For whom, lower control is better?
The more risk factors there are, the more strict attention needs to be paid to cholesterol control. It is generally believed that low-density lipoprotein LDL is closely related to cardiovascular disease. People with diabetes are recommended to control it below 100mg/dl; after acute coronary heart disease occurs, it should be controlled below 70mg/dl in the short term; people with acute coronary heart disease combined with diabetes, or high-risk coronary heart disease Patients with arterial disease (myocardial infarction within 12 months, a history of two or more myocardial infarctions, CAD patients with multivessel disease, or patients with peripheral arterial disease) should consider lowering their cholesterol to less than 55 mg/dL. If you have other risk factors such as peripheral vascular disease, hypertension, stroke, age, gender, family history, smoking, lack of exercise, obesity, etc., you must discuss appropriate cholesterol control standards with your doctor.
Since blood lipid concentration will vary with age, gender and race, cholesterol control will move towards a “personalized” concept. You should always understand your own risk level. For example, the in-hospital mortality rate of myocardial infarction in women after menopause will be higher than that of men, so special attention should be paid to it. Blood lipid control.
Taiwan’s current hyperlipidemia risk assessment system is based on U.S. treatment guidelines. In the future, localized cholesterol risk factor scoring indicators will be developed through large-scale empirical data to help different ages and ethnic groups stably control blood lipids and reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications.
Are cholesterol levels related to diet? Can eating fish oil really lower blood lipids?
Generally, healthy adults adopt a balanced diet and their cholesterol can be maintained within a constant range. However, for people who already have hypercholesterolemia, if their daily diet is not properly controlled and they consume excessive amounts of fat and calories, their cholesterol will continue to rise.
Patients with high cholesterol should eat less fatty skins (pig skin, chicken skin, duck skin, mutton), animal offal (liver, liver, brain, kidney), shelled seafood (shrimp, crab, mussel, shellfish) and other foods. Cheese and full-fat dairy products. Saturated fatty acids will increase cholesterol metabolism problems and promote the accumulation of LDL. It is best to eat less foods containing a lot of saturated fats such as pork rice. Egg yolks are rich in cholesterol and are not recommended for patients with high cholesterol.
Dietary choices suitable for people with high cholesterol include: eating more lean meat, fish, and vegetables (avoiding starchy vegetables such as pumpkins and sweet potatoes). Fruits such as guava with a lower glycemic index should be chosen. Low-fat or non-fat dairy products. Although oatmeal is considered a healthy food, it can help reduce cholesterol by about 10%, but it must be replaced with a meal to avoid overeating to avoid excessive triglycerides. Recent studies have confirmed that in addition to reducing triglycerides, the EPA in fish oil also has excellent anti-inflammatory effects and can reduce the effects of blood lipids and bad cholesterol. Compared with fish oil that contains both EPA and DHA, highly purified EPA has more specific effects. evidence of cardiovascular protection.
Is cholesterol control just based on diet? Should young people also be careful about high cholesterol?
Research shows that for patients with high cholesterol who carry out diet control for one year, the effective rate is about 10%-30%, and then decreases with time. If you still cannot lower your cholesterol to the standard after trying diet control, you should follow your doctor’s advice for drug treatment. Regular exercise can improve dyslipidemia and can increase HDL and reduce triglycerides. However, for people with cardiovascular disease, it is recommended to perform “isotonic exercise” (such as aerobic exercise, jogging, swimming) instead of “isometric exercise” with excessive resistance. “, reducing the impact of exercise stress on cardiovascular disease.
With the rise of public health concepts and advancements in diagnostic technology, young people should also pay attention to hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular diseases. It is recommended that everyone receive a blood lipid test as soon as possible to detect abnormalities and receive treatment as early as possible. If the values are normal, it is currently recommended that adults over the age of 20 have their blood lipid status tested every five years, and consult a specialist to correctly interpret the test data to identify potential cardiovascular risks as early as possible.
In addition, modern people have a hurried pace of life, heavy work pressure, and a stressful lifestyle that can easily increase cardiovascular stress. Moderate relaxation, regular exercise, and sleep adjustment can all help maintain cardiovascular health. Generally speaking, adults or people with high cholesterol who need to make dietary adjustments or nutritional supplements should first consult a cardiologist, and formal treatments with proven efficacy should be the first choice.
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