What is cholesterol?

“What is Cholesterol?” The question has become one of the most curious subjects recently due to the increasing number of cardiovascular diseases

As the awareness of healthy living is increasing day by day, the number of people who want to have a balanced cholesterol level in order to lead a healthy life is also increasing at this rate.

Cholesterol, in the simplest terms, is a lipid, or fat cell, with a waxy structure that is found in our blood and is produced naturally by all cells, especially the liver. While the body can produce the majority of cholesterol naturally, we get a small amount of it through the food we eat.

Cholesterol has many different functions that are vital in our body. Some of these are those:

production of the cell membrane,

production of vitamin D,

Production of certain hormones that are important for the body.

Cholesterol, which cannot dissolve in water due to its lipidic structure, cannot circulate in our body by itself. In order to perform this function, the body needs particles called lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are divided into two types:

LDL-cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein. This is also called bad cholesterol.

HDL-cholesterol or high-density lipoprotein is known as good cholesterol.

LDL-Cholesterol or Malignant Cholesterol
LDL-Cholesterol is also known as bad cholesterol. The reason for this is that as a result of the increase in LDL values, the issues detailed below may occur:

hardening of the arteries,

Narrowing of blood vessels as a result of forcing blood flow,

Formation of blood clots.

These can also cause a heart attack, stroke or, in other words, stroke.

HDL-Cholesterol or Benign Cholesterol
HDL-Cholesterol is also known as good cholesterol. It sends LDL to the liver for removal from the body. This prevents the accumulation of fat layers in the arteries. The bad cholesterol carried to the liver is broken down here.

High levels of good cholesterol are protective against the risks of stroke and heart attack.

What Causes High Cholesterol?
Although most of the cholesterol is provided by the liver, we take cholesterol into our body at certain rates with the food we consume. In this regard, it is very important to pay attention to the ratio of the foods we eat. Consuming high-fat foods, frequently including meat, fast food containing trans fat and fried foods in our meals can cause an increase in cholesterol levels.

In addition, a sedentary life, being overweight or a family history can also be considered among the situations that pose a danger to cholesterol.

What is cholesterol?