Thread by @ShreyaShah22

Cholesterol!
Cholesterol is a type of waxy substance. It is a sterol,type of lipid,made from part fat&protein

Body needs cholesterol to produce hormones,synthesize vit D

Cholesterol levels need to be monitored regularly

A thread🧵on cholesterol&management of high cholesterol👇

🔸Cholesterol mainly comes from 2 sources:
1. The food that we eat (20%)
2. Produced by our own liver(80%)

Since cholesterol is not water soluble, the liver packages the cholesterol into tiny spheres called lipoproteins to be transported through blood.

🔸The body tightly regulates the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

When ur dietary intake of cholesterol goes down, ur body makes more.

When u eat greater amounts of cholesterol,ur body makes less

Hence,dietary cholesterol have little impact on blood cholesterol levels.

🔸Cholesterol& lipoproteins
When people talk about cholesterol in relation to heart health,it's not about cholesterol itself

They're referring to lipoproteins,structures that carry cholesterol in the blood

Lipoproteins r made of fat(lipid)on the inside&protein on the outside

🔸Decoding the abbreviation
🔹LDL: Low density lipoprotein, there is more fat and less protein
➔ High LDL level leads to the buildup of plaque in arteries
➔ It will raise risk for heart disease&stroke
➔ Therefore, it is sometimes referred to as "bad" cholesterol

🔹HDL: High Density Lipoprotein

➔ It transports cholesterol from different parts of body back to liver
➔ sometimes referred to as "good" cholesterol
➔ The cholesterol is then eliminated from ur body by liver
➔ High levels of HDL cholesterol can lower risk of heart disease

🔹VLDL: Very low-density lipoprotein the initial cholesterol that is produced&temporary exists in blood before becoming LDL
➔ It also contributes to the buildup of plaque in arteries
➔VLDL&LDL are different; VLDL mainly carries triglycerides& LDL mainly
carries cholesterol

🔹Triglycerides
Triglycerides are the most common type of fat in the body.They store excess energy from your diet

A high triglyceride level+high LDL cholesterol/low HDL cholesterol is linked with plaque buildups in the artery wall,which increases the risk of heart attack&stroke

🔹Total cholesterol: total cholesterol includes a combination of the different forms of cholesterol plus triglycerides

TC= HDL+LDL+20%TG

🔹Ratio: total cholesterol divided by HDL, predicts risk of developing heart disease, higher ratio indicates higher risk

🔹Non-HDLc: calculated by subtracting HDL from total cholesterol number

🔹FH: familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic condition inherited from one or both parents resulting in elevated cholesterol levels

🔸 Diagnostic Criteria
Lipid profile is a blood test that will give you results for your HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and total blood (or serum) cholesterol.

🔸The main risk factors for high cholesterol include:

🔹Poor diet
🔹Physical inactivity
🔹Obesity
🔹Smoking
🔹Older age
🔹Diabetes
🔹Family history

🔸Dietary management of cholesterol

Making just a few simple swaps in your daily routine can be an easy strategy for how to lower your cholesterol. Here are a few simple dietary changes for high cholesterol, all of which can also help support heart health and reduce the risk

🔹Include more fruits & vegetables in ur diet

Fruits & veggies are packed with essential nutrients that can optimize heart health,including fiber and antioxidants.

They also contain a wealth of important vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium,and folate

🔹Add More Healthy Fats to Your Diet

▪️While it’s definitely not advisable to start filling up on the fried food, there are plenty of heart-healthy fats out there that can help keep your cholesterol numbers under control

▪️Coconut oil, has been shown to increase HDL cholesterol levels, which help clear out excess bad cholesterol from the arteries.

▪️Besides coconut oil and olive oil, other heart-healthy sources of fat include avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish.

🔹Eat fish that are high in omega 3 fatty acids
▪️Omega-3FA’s help raise ur HDL level
▪️They also protect ur heart from blood clots&inflammation&reduce ur risk of heart attack
▪️Fish that r a good source of omega-3 fatty acids-salmon,tuna&mackerel
▪️try to include fish twice/Wk

🔹Reduce Sugar consumption
Reducing ur sugar intake is one of the easiest methods to lower LDL naturally&maintain normal cholesterol levels

It’s also a great way to improve overall health,as foods rich in added sugar contribute little to the diet apart from extra calories& carbs

🔹Include More Fiber
Humans lack the proper enzymes to break down soluble fiber,so it moves through digestive tract,absorbing water.

As it travels, soluble fiber absorbs bile, produced by liver to help digest fats. Eventually, both the fiber&attached bile are excreted in stool.

Bile is made from cholesterol, so when your liver needs to make more bile it pulls cholesterol out of your bloodstream, which lowers cholesterol levels naturally.

Regular soluble fiber consumption is associated with a 5–10% reduction in both total cholesterol& LDL cholesterol

🔹Limit salt intake: Limiting salt won't lower cholesterol, but it can lower ur risk of heart
diseases by helping to lower ur blood pressure

🔹Limit alcohol
▪️Alcohol adds extra calories, which can lead to weight gain
▪️Being overweight can raise LDL level&lower HDL

🔹 Exercise: aim for around 20-40 minutes of cardio per day, or between 150-300 minutes over the course of the week. Pair this with at least two days of resistance training per week to maximize results and manage cholesterol.

🔹 Sleep: it's imperative to remember that sleep is your body's free drug.

Make sure you have a fixed sleeping schedule and get a good night's sleep.

Our intelligent bodies were designed to repair and heal themselves. Let's invest in it and help it do its job well

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