Cholesterol Awareness

How Does Eating Fat Affect Cholesterol
Unsaturated fats

 

Many foods have a high level of unsaturated fats. At room temperature, these fats are liquid. Oily fish and chicken are unsaturated. However, the best source of unsaturated fats include vegetable oils, which can be divided into two categories: monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, avocado, peanut, and polyunsaturated found in corn oil, soybean, sunflower. Both types are recommended for health.


Saturated fat

 

Butter, lard, pork, lamb, beef, sausages, eggs and milk are foods that have a high content of saturated fat, in the same way that some vegetable oils, such as coconut, palm oil and palm kernel. These fats have a solid consistency at room temperature. Their use in large amounts produces increased blood cholesterol.

 

How does the body break down ingested fats?

 

Ingested fats pass the stomach to the intestine where they dissolve on account of the action of bile salts acids released by the liver. Then the enzymes secreted by the pancreas decompose to form the fatty acid and glycerol, which are able to pass through the intestinal walls. There are grouped into a set of three fatty acid molecules with glycerol to form a triglycerides. The triglycerides mentioned, absorbed by the lymphatic system, reach the bloodstream, which along with protein and cholesterol, are deposited in cells throughout the body.

 

Cholesterol and fat

 

Did you know that a proportion of blood cholesterol is produced in the liver due to saturated fats ingested? Almost all the cholesterol in the bloodstream is produced by the liver, due to the metabolism of a variety of foods, especially saturated fat. However, since the daily need cholesterol to meet cellular function is amply supplied by the same function of the liver, the body requires no intake of cholesterol. But only a small part of these cholesterol-rich foods, such as eggs and oily fish, are absorbed directly.
 

Foods that cause high cholesterol

 

Foods high in cholesterol include eggs, liver and kidneys. However, the main sources of cholesterol are actually all products high in saturated fats, eg, cream, butter, cheeses and fatty meats such as pork, lamb and beef. In turn, these saturated fats are transformed by the liver in cholesterol.

Cells throughout the body use cholesterol to produce a number of hormones important and essential for growth and reproduction. Cholesterol is a vital component forming new cell membranes in different parts of the body. In addition, it is also an essential ingredient of the bile produced in the liver, which later passed into the intestine to help digest fats. Once in the bloodstream, cholesterol passes through the body so that cells can directly meet all your needs. However, cholesterol levels circulating in the blood can be too high. People who have high cholesterol are at increased risk of myocardial infarction, angina or circulatory disorders. Excess cholesterol adheres to the walls of the arteries as fat deposits blocking the flow of blood to various organs such as the heart or brain.

For many people would be easy to reduce this high level, simply by changing your daily diet. But it's not a matter of eating fewer foods high in cholesterol, as this would only produce a minimal effect on the existing level. To decrease should eat less fat, especially saturated, since it is these that the liver use to produce cholesterol.

Fats are lipid laden calories. Each gram of fat supplies the body with 9 calories, compared to only 4 calories that gives us every gram of carbohydrates. Cells use the fatty acids and glycerol as energy source. Any excess fat is stored and deposited under the skin causing an increase in weight and, later, obesity. Some triglycerides also reach the liver where they are used to produce cholesterol.

There are two types of fat: saturated and unsaturated, which vary in their chemical composition and the effect produced on the body. Saturated fats are found in dairy products and the animal. These cause an increase of blood cholesterol, which in turn increases the risk of coronary disease. A large part of vegetable fats, however, provide the greatest amount of unsaturated fats that are healthier.