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How
to Bypass Your Bypass: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You About
Cholesterol
and Your Diet by
MD, Richard M.Fleming,
Heart disease is
the number one
killer of people in the United States and Europe, and most people don't
realize that they have it until it's too late. Finally, a book
addressing
actual caloric needs for different bodies and different lifestyles,
illustrating
the differences between good & bad cholesterol and where it
comes
from, as well as offering delicious recipes for cholesterol-free, heart
healthy dishes. |
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| Our
pages are created to provide medically accurate information that is
intended
to complement, not replace or substitute in any way the services of
your
physician. Any application of the recommendations set forth in the
following
pages is at the reader's discretion and sole risk. Before undergoing
medical
treatment, you should consult with your doctor, who can best assess
your
individual needs, symptoms and treatment. |
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CHOLESTEROL
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Cholesterol
is a soft, waxy, fat-like substance found in all animal tissues.
Cholesterol
is needed to produce hormones, vitamin D and bile acids (which help
digest
fat). If you understand some facts about cholesterol, it will help you
to keep your cholesterol levels within the healthy range. There is a
difference
between the cholesterol you eat and the cholesterol in your blood.
Ideal
blood cholesterol level is less than 5.2 mmol/L.
When
your blood cholesterol level is too high, cholesterol, along with other
substances, tends to deposit inside arteries. This is called
atherosclerosis.
These deposits can obstruct blood flow and cause a heart attack or
stroke.
Dietary
cholesterol is the cholesterol we get from eating animal foods.
Meat,
fish, poultry and dairy products all contain cholesterol.
Blood
cholesterol is a natural part of our blood fats. About 80% of the
cholesterol
in our blood comes from our liver and the remaining 20% comes from our
food.
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people think that just watching or avoid cholesterol in foods will
prevent
high blood cholesterol and hearth disease. The best way to reduce the
amount
of cholesterol our body makes is to reduce the total amount of fat we
eat-especialy
saturated and partially hydrogenated fats.
We
now know that limiting cholesterol is not as important as watching our
daily dietary fat intake.
It
is just as important for you to limit the high cholesterol foods in
your
diet as well as reduce the total fat content of your diet. High
cholesterol
foods include egg yolks, liver, kidney, shrimp and fish roe.
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TRIGLYCERIDES
This is
another type of fat found in the blood and body tissues. Triglyceride
is made in the liver when excess calories are consumed from sugar, fat,
and alcohol. Calories not used immediately by the tissues are
converted
to triglycerides and transported to fat cells for storage.
Ideal
blood triglyceride
levels are less than 2.3 mmol/L |
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LIPOPROTEIN
A combination
in the blood consisting of lipid (fat) and protein molecules bound
together.
Since all fats, including cholesterol do not dissolve in the blood,
they
must circulate in the form of lipoproteins. There are two types of
lipoproteins
which we are concerned about, the High Density and the Low Density
Lipoproteins. |
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HIGH-DENSITY
LIPOPROTEINS: HDL's "GOOD"
These
are durable fat-carrying protein compounds that actually cary excess
cholesterol
to the liver for processing and elimination from the body in bile. It
is
the presumed function which may explain the role of high density
lipoproteins
as protective against the development of atherosclerosis.
A
value of 1.80 has 1/2 the average risk of heart attack.
A
value of 0.90 has twice the average risk of heart attack. |
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LOW
- DENSITY LIPOPROTEINS: LDL's "BAD"
These
lipoproteins carry most of the cholesterol in your body. These are less
stable and more likely to break apart and deposit cholesterol in the
blood
vessels, which can lead to atherosclerosis. An elevated LDL cholesterol
level is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease.
A
value of less than 3.4 is desirable. |
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| Find
Out More About Cholesterol And You |
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