Since a long time, cholesterol has had a bad reputation. But now is the time to break all the myths about it! It has uncountable benefits to our body. It is involved in many different bodily functions. Although high levels of cholesterol in the body are harmful, but optimum levels of it are needed by our body to function properly. The Dietary sources for consumption of cholesterol is animal derived food products e.g., Meat, chicken, ham, milk, paneer etc. The optimum cholesterol level in a normal person ranges from anything lower than 200 mg/dL.
The Functions of Cholesterol in our body include:
- Cholesterol is the major need for production of steroid hormones (sex hormones) in the body.
- It provides rigidity to the plasma membrane in different cells of the body.
- Cholesterol also acts as a building block for different tissues in the body.
- It helps in Bile juice production in the liver. Bile juices emulsifies all the fat molecules that are stubborn to get digested.
- Cholesterol is a precursor for Vitamin D.
What is LDL and HDL?
Lipoproteins carry all the fat & cholesterol molecules from different parts of the body to the liver and vis-e-versa.
LDL stands for Low Density Lipoproteins. These Lipoproteins carry fat molecules from the liver and distribute it in the different parts and circulations of the body. These cause the buildup of ‘plaque’ in the blood vessels where it causes narrowing of the vessel lumen. This narrowing of the vessel lumen can cause hypertension and many other ailments in a person’s body. The optimum levels in a normal person ranges less than 100mg/dL. These are the bad and unhealthy type of lipoproteins.
HDL stands for High Density Lipoproteins. These Lipoproteins carry fat molecules from different parts and circulations of the body to the liver for further degradation into simpler molecules. Presences of high levels of High Density Lipoproteins is generally very good for the body as they keep a check on the work done by the Low Density Lipoproteins. These prevent buildup of ‘plaque’ in the blood vessels and maintains a healthy body. The optimum levels in a normal person ranges more than 40mg/dL.
