What is it, what it is not, its importance for health, truths and wrongs known as true… Curious questions and answers about cholesterol;
1. What is cholesterol?
It is a molecule of the lipid class. It is not found in plant foods, it can only be found in animal foods in varying amounts. In addition, the human body produces between 1 and 4 grams of cholesterol per day.
2. Is cholesterol a completely harmful compound for the body?
No. On the contrary, cholesterol has very important functions in the body.
It is involved in the digestion of fats. Therefore, if there is not enough cholesterol in the body, there may be problems in the digestion of fats. Another important function of cholesterol is to take place in the structure of nerve tissues.
So much so that 17% of the dry matter weight of the brain is cholesterol. Cholesterol is an indispensable building material for nervous system tissues. However, they also participate in the structure of the cell wall in other tissues.
3. What is the negative effect on health?
The melting point of cholesterol is 159 C. There are constantly 10-12 grams in the blood and this is normal. If the amount of cholesterol in the blood is constantly high; it accumulates in the vessel walls over time and can cause occlusion of the vessels.
This effect is not an instantaneous problem, individuals with high cholesterol levels over a long period are at risk in this regard.
4. What does the level of cholesterol in the blood depend on?
•Genetic predisposition,
• Obesity and obesity,
•Nutrition habits,
• Stress.
Genetic inheritance from the family can cause high cholesterol levels in the blood of the individual. To control this situation, it is extremely important to seek the opinion of a doctor and to comply with the doctor’s instructions in this context. However, controlling other factors can help balance blood cholesterol levels.
5. What if we say nutrition?
It is recommended that dietary intake should be a maximum of 300 mg per day. As mentioned before, no plant foods contain cholesterol, only animal foods. Only 50-60% of cholesterol taken with food can be absorbed by the body.
6. Should we be afraid of animal foods?
Individuals who are healthy and do not have risk factors should not be afraid. Of course, this does not mean that healthy people can overeat foods high in cholesterol. Eating enough and in moderation is essential.
Individuals with one or more of the risk factors and individuals with high cholesterol levels in the blood should be careful against foods with high cholesterol.
However, every person should have their blood cholesterol level measured regularly once or twice a year. In particular, individuals with a history of cardiovascular disease in their family and close relatives should pay attention to this situation.
7. Which foods contain high amounts of cholesterol?
Foods at risk for cholesterol are the brain, liver and eggs.
• 2 thousand 195 mg per 100 grams of the brain,
• Liver 309 mg per 100 grams,
• 1 egg contains approximately 200 mg.
However, it should be kept in mind that caviar, lobster and crab also contain high amounts of cholesterol, although they are not consumed frequently.
8. What about meat, milk, cheese and butter?
• 100 ml of whole milk 13 mg,
• 100 g veal 83 mg,
• 100 g butter 237 mg,
• 100 gr cheese 100-200 mg,
• 100 g of yogurt contains 13 mg of cholesterol.
Healthy individuals should not be afraid if they consume these foods in moderation. It should be noted that the recommended daily intake of cholesterol is at most 300 mg.
9. What can be advised for these foods?
Considering that a daily individual consumes between 10-20 g of butter, the amount of cholesterol taken with butter is approximately 25-50 mg. However, it is a much healthier option if clarified butter is preferred over butter.
Clarified butter is obtained by separating the water after the butter is melted. At this stage, 90% of the cholesterol in butter is removed from the oil with the separated water. Therefore, it can be said that choosing plain oil instead of butter is extremely beneficial for cardiovascular health.
If the cheese is consumed in daily 10-50 gr measurements, cholesterol should not be feared.
One of the biggest mistakes individuals make to gain weight and develop their bodies is to consume a high number of eggs. Consuming 5 eggs a day means taking approximately 1000 mg of cholesterol into the body. This bad diet will invite serious cardiovascular diseases in the future. 1 egg a day is ideal for cardiovascular health.
10. What should be the level of cholesterol in the blood?
For a healthy adult individual, the total cholesterol level in the blood is expected to be 200 mg/dl and below.
A total cholesterol level of 200-239 mg/dl is accepted as the limit value. 240 mg/dl and above are considered high values.
LDL* level in the blood should be below 100 mg/dl. LDL is popularly known as “bad cholesterol.” LDL value in the range of 100-129 mg/dl is acceptable for individuals without health problems; however, this value range is a situation that should be considered especially in individuals with cardiovascular disease and individuals at risk of discomfort (excessive weight, stress, routine diet with high cholesterol content and genetic predisposition). The range of 130-159 mg/dl for LDL is borderline high; 160-190 mg/dl is high; Values of 190 mg/dl and above are considered very high.
HDL** level should be kept high. HDL is popularly known as “good cholesterol.” HDL values lower than 40 mg/dl are considered an important risk factor for heart disease. Values between 41-59 mg/dl for HDL are considered borderline low. The HDL level should be 60 mg/dl and above.
*LDL; Low-Density Lipoprotein. Lipoprotein is used because cholesterol is bound to proteins in the blood.
**HDL; High-Density Lipoprotein.
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