Friends who care about nutrition may have heard that the US Dietary Guidelines have lifted the restriction on cholesterol. This makes everyone a little confused: have doctors been wrong for so many years when they say they want a low-salt and low-fat diet? Is cholesterol actually good?
Seeing that everyone is so concerned about health, Dr. Clove is very happy. We will explain in detail whether cholesterol is good or bad.
Cholesterol in blood, good and bad
Cholesterol is cholesterol, but when it is combined with different means of transportation in blood, it will have different destinations and different results.
Low density lipoprotein
When cholesterol binds to low density lipoprotein, Cholesterol is more likely to deposit on the blood vessel wall, forming atherosclerotic plaques, which is the root cause of atherosclerosis, which is the culprit of common cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. This is the reason why doctors call low density lipoprotein cholesterol [bad cholesterol]. In fact, cholesterol is not wrong, and it is wrong to take the wrong car.
High density lipoprotein
High density lipoprotein binds cholesterol in blood vessels and does not allow them to deposit on blood vessels. Instead, it is transported back to the liver for treatment and metabolism. It prevents atherosclerosis and reduces the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. These cholesterol that has taken a [good ride] is called [good cholesterol] by doctors.
In addition to blood, cholesterol is also an important substance that constitutes the human body. For example, the stability of our cell membrane and various membranes in the body cannot be separated from cholesterol. There are also some raw materials for hormone synthesis, which is also cholesterol. The composition of the brain is also inseparable from cholesterol.
Some studies have found that the cholesterol level in blood is too low, which is not conducive to the stability of the immune system. In patients with severe liver function damage, if cholesterol is very low, it often indicates that the disease is serious.
Dietary cholesterol
After reading the above, do you understand? Whether cholesterol can harm health depends on how cholesterol is in blood.
The reason why the dietary guidelines lift the cholesterol restriction is that how much cholesterol you eat seems to have no effect on the cholesterol in your blood.
This is not in line with everyone’s cognition. Isn’t it said that what tastes good is what supplements what tastes good? Of course not, the human body is not that simple.
The human body has a complex system for synthesizing, metabolizing and reabsorbing cholesterol. Besides the liver, the adrenal cortex, testis and endocrine glands of the ovary can also synthesize cholesterol. The process of synthesizing cholesterol is very complicated and has not yet been fully understood.
The raw materials can come from acetyl coenzyme A produced during the metabolism of sugar, fatty acid or amino acid.
Theoretically, lack of cholesterol in food will not affect the level of cholesterol in the body, nor will it affect health.
Can we let go of eating?
The answer is very simple, no.
Because dietary guidelines still limit the amount of saturated fatty acids, cholesterol and saturated fatty acids often coexist in food.
Moreover, for hypertension patients, cholesterol is not restricted, which leads to excessive intake of saturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids will affect cholesterol metabolism, which may cause difficulties in blood lipid control for hypertension patients.
High blood pressure and high blood lipid will add to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, a low-salt and low-fat diet should still be adhered to. Cooperate with drugs to achieve the goal of a healthy life.