HEALTH - CHOLESTEROL
There appears to be a considerable amount of confusion regarding the role cholesterol plays in helping to determine health status. Indeed, cholesterol is often considered to be extremely detrimental to ones health; hence the paranoia associated with eating the yolk part of an egg - a food high in cholesterol.
However, cholesterol, although harmful at elevated levels, contributes to many biological functions, and is undeserving of such a villainous reputation. The body manufactures cholesterol internally in the liver, and from the foods we eat and, as a necessary lipid (fatlike substance), is used as a building component for all of the body's cells.
Bodybuilders often consume a variety of foods, including copious amounts of fat in the off-season. As a result, they might run the risk of increasing their cholesterol to harmful levels. Elevated cholesterol levels can have dire consequences, as this article will illustrate, which include heart disease and stroke.
Indeed, keeping cholesterol levels under control will enhance overall health, and prolong ones training efforts and quality of life. This article aims to demystify the many, often confusing, aspects of cholesterol metabolism, while showing how one can improve their cholesterol profile and improve the quality of their health.
What Is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol (pronounced ko-LES-te-rol) is a fatlike, waxy substance, called a lipid, which is produced in the liver primarily (about 80% of production) and secondarily manufactured by the foods we eat.
Cholesterols name originates from the Greek word chole (bile) and stereos (solid) due to researchers initially finding it in gallstones, in a solid form. It circulates in the blood and is used as a building product for all the body's cells (cholesterol can be found in high concentrations in the muscles, brain and liver) and many sex hormones.
It travels in the blood, for the most part, packaged as two compounds, which will be explained in detail later: low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). These compounds, in the wrong ratios, as well as a high total cholesterol count, can cause significant cardiovascular problems. However, cholesterol is necessary, as it plays a very important role in cellular health.
It is a necessary component of all cell membranes, and a precursor to all steroid hormones, including testosterone, estrogens and cortisol. It is also needed for brain function, and carries antioxidant vitamins to the body's tissues.
Cholesterol also helps with the production of bile acids, which help the body digest fat. Indeed, it is excess cholesterol in the blood, not cholesterol per se, that causes the associated health problems, and contributes to its reputation as something to avoid like the plague.
Cholesterol's Harmful Effects
As many as half of the 530,000 deaths from heart disease in the US in 1999, might have been a result of raised cholesterol and lipid levels. Most of the evidence surrounding death statistics concerning heart disease point to low levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and high levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol as being the main offenders.
Fat-like substances called lipids (of which HDL and LDL are two lipids in the form of fat-protein complex lipoproteins) circulate in the body and, in the wrong ratios and amounts, can cause what is termed atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Atherosclerosis occurs when a plaque is formed as a result of high LDL activity; the longer a plaque is left to develop, the more fibrous it becomes and the greater the calcium build-up. When this occurs the heart is damaged in two ways:
The Arteries eventually become narrower due to calcification and inelasticity (a condition known as stenosis). Eventually sufficient oxygen-rich blood is prevented from reaching the heart, due to the continued narrowing of the arteries.
Angina (discomfort and pain felt when a blockage in a coronary artery prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching part of the heart), and in many cases heart attack (myocardial infarction) will ultimately result from this restriction of blood supply.
Smaller, unstable, plaques might rupture triggering the formation of blood clots on their surface. These blood clots might eventually block the arteries and cause heart attack.
HDL & LDL Cholesterol
HDL cholesterol is referred to as a good lipoprotein as it tends to transport cholesterol away from the arterial wall, whereas LDL (referred to as bad) carries cholesterol from the liver to the arteries, where it is deposited in the artery walls as a fatty substance called a plaque.
LDL transports 75% of the bloods cholesterol around the body. However, this cholesterol sometimes undergoes a process of oxidation (it becomes an unstable molecule) which allows it to penetrate, and act dangerously, with the artery wall.
The body releases immune factors in response to the oxidized LDL. These immune factors, however, come in such abundance that they cause inflammation, which causes further damage to the artery wall.
Oxidized cholesterol also has been shown to play a role in the lowering of nitric oxide (NO). With a lack of NO, the blood cannot flow freely and further cardiovascular problems occur.
HDL, on the other hand, appears to benefit the body by, as mentioned, removing cholesterol from the arterial wall, and returning it to the liver. It also has been shown to prevent the oxidation of LDL as well as keeping the arteries open and clear.
One condition that results in abnormally high HDL cholesterol levels cannot be addressed with a few simple dietary changes, and other lifestyle changes. Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disorder that effects about one in 500 Americans.
It is a metabolic defect that prevents LDL cholesterol from being cleared from the bloodstream, significantly increasing ones risk of heart disease, due to the abnormally high LDL levels in the blood.
Pinkish-yellow deposits under the skin (xanthomas) particularly around the eyelids or on the tendons of the lower legs characterize FH, and some people with the severe form of this disorder can suffer heart attacks during childhood.
There are two types of FH, heterozygous FH (in which one receptor on the blood cell has mutated) and homozygous (the blood cells have two mutated receptors). In heterozygous FH, LDL cholesterol levels can run as high as 350-500 mg/lL ).
In homozygous FH, which is much rarer, LDL cholesterol levels can reach as high as 700-1,200 mg/dl. Cholesterol lowering drugs, in addition to dietary changes, are often required to treat familial hypercholesterolemia.
Symptoms Of High Cholesterol
As mentioned, atherosclerosis is often the end product of consistently high cholesterol levels. The symptoms of high cholesterol stem from the diminished blood flow resulting from atherosclerosis, and may include:
However, cholesterol, although harmful at elevated levels, contributes to many biological functions, and is undeserving of such a villainous reputation. The body manufactures cholesterol internally in the liver, and from the foods we eat and, as a necessary lipid (fatlike substance), is used as a building component for all of the body's cells.
Bodybuilders often consume a variety of foods, including copious amounts of fat in the off-season. As a result, they might run the risk of increasing their cholesterol to harmful levels. Elevated cholesterol levels can have dire consequences, as this article will illustrate, which include heart disease and stroke.
Indeed, keeping cholesterol levels under control will enhance overall health, and prolong ones training efforts and quality of life. This article aims to demystify the many, often confusing, aspects of cholesterol metabolism, while showing how one can improve their cholesterol profile and improve the quality of their health.
What Is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol (pronounced ko-LES-te-rol) is a fatlike, waxy substance, called a lipid, which is produced in the liver primarily (about 80% of production) and secondarily manufactured by the foods we eat.
Cholesterols name originates from the Greek word chole (bile) and stereos (solid) due to researchers initially finding it in gallstones, in a solid form. It circulates in the blood and is used as a building product for all the body's cells (cholesterol can be found in high concentrations in the muscles, brain and liver) and many sex hormones.
It travels in the blood, for the most part, packaged as two compounds, which will be explained in detail later: low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). These compounds, in the wrong ratios, as well as a high total cholesterol count, can cause significant cardiovascular problems. However, cholesterol is necessary, as it plays a very important role in cellular health.
It is a necessary component of all cell membranes, and a precursor to all steroid hormones, including testosterone, estrogens and cortisol. It is also needed for brain function, and carries antioxidant vitamins to the body's tissues.
Cholesterol also helps with the production of bile acids, which help the body digest fat. Indeed, it is excess cholesterol in the blood, not cholesterol per se, that causes the associated health problems, and contributes to its reputation as something to avoid like the plague.
Cholesterol's Harmful Effects
As many as half of the 530,000 deaths from heart disease in the US in 1999, might have been a result of raised cholesterol and lipid levels. Most of the evidence surrounding death statistics concerning heart disease point to low levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and high levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol as being the main offenders.
Fat-like substances called lipids (of which HDL and LDL are two lipids in the form of fat-protein complex lipoproteins) circulate in the body and, in the wrong ratios and amounts, can cause what is termed atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Atherosclerosis occurs when a plaque is formed as a result of high LDL activity; the longer a plaque is left to develop, the more fibrous it becomes and the greater the calcium build-up. When this occurs the heart is damaged in two ways:
The Arteries eventually become narrower due to calcification and inelasticity (a condition known as stenosis). Eventually sufficient oxygen-rich blood is prevented from reaching the heart, due to the continued narrowing of the arteries.
Angina (discomfort and pain felt when a blockage in a coronary artery prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching part of the heart), and in many cases heart attack (myocardial infarction) will ultimately result from this restriction of blood supply.
Smaller, unstable, plaques might rupture triggering the formation of blood clots on their surface. These blood clots might eventually block the arteries and cause heart attack.
HDL & LDL Cholesterol
HDL cholesterol is referred to as a good lipoprotein as it tends to transport cholesterol away from the arterial wall, whereas LDL (referred to as bad) carries cholesterol from the liver to the arteries, where it is deposited in the artery walls as a fatty substance called a plaque.
LDL transports 75% of the bloods cholesterol around the body. However, this cholesterol sometimes undergoes a process of oxidation (it becomes an unstable molecule) which allows it to penetrate, and act dangerously, with the artery wall.
The body releases immune factors in response to the oxidized LDL. These immune factors, however, come in such abundance that they cause inflammation, which causes further damage to the artery wall.
Oxidized cholesterol also has been shown to play a role in the lowering of nitric oxide (NO). With a lack of NO, the blood cannot flow freely and further cardiovascular problems occur.
HDL, on the other hand, appears to benefit the body by, as mentioned, removing cholesterol from the arterial wall, and returning it to the liver. It also has been shown to prevent the oxidation of LDL as well as keeping the arteries open and clear.
One condition that results in abnormally high HDL cholesterol levels cannot be addressed with a few simple dietary changes, and other lifestyle changes. Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disorder that effects about one in 500 Americans.
It is a metabolic defect that prevents LDL cholesterol from being cleared from the bloodstream, significantly increasing ones risk of heart disease, due to the abnormally high LDL levels in the blood.
Pinkish-yellow deposits under the skin (xanthomas) particularly around the eyelids or on the tendons of the lower legs characterize FH, and some people with the severe form of this disorder can suffer heart attacks during childhood.
There are two types of FH, heterozygous FH (in which one receptor on the blood cell has mutated) and homozygous (the blood cells have two mutated receptors). In heterozygous FH, LDL cholesterol levels can run as high as 350-500 mg/lL ).
In homozygous FH, which is much rarer, LDL cholesterol levels can reach as high as 700-1,200 mg/dl. Cholesterol lowering drugs, in addition to dietary changes, are often required to treat familial hypercholesterolemia.
Symptoms Of High Cholesterol
As mentioned, atherosclerosis is often the end product of consistently high cholesterol levels. The symptoms of high cholesterol stem from the diminished blood flow resulting from atherosclerosis, and may include:
- Angina (chest pain).
- Intermittent Claudication (leg pain when walking).
- The Pinkish-Yellow deposits under the skin (xanthomas) particularly around the eyelids or on the tendons of the lower legs, associated with familial hypercholesterolemia.
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