It can be a pain to deal with cholesterol, but it’s essential to the health of your body. In addition to making hormones and vitamin D, cholesterol supports digestion and is important to your health. In addition to producing enough cholesterol to handle these tasks, your liver also produces cholesterol for your body to use. A variety of foods contain cholesterol, including meat and dairy products. Consuming these foods in large quantities can lead to high cholesterol levels.
There are two major types of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Lipoproteins are made of fat and proteins. Cholesterol moves through your body while inside lipoproteins.
HDL, or “healthy cholesterol” is responsible for transporting cholesterol from your body to your liver. The HDL in your body helps clear your body of excess cholesterol, making your arteries less likely to clog up.
LDL, or “bad cholesterol,” carries cholesterol to your arteries, where it collects on the walls of your arteries. An excessive amount of cholesterol may lead to atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque inside the arteries.
In addition, this increases your risk of heart attacks and blood clots. The clot may break off and block an artery in your heart or brain, causing you to have a stroke or heart attack. Additionally, plaque buildup can restrict blood flow and oxygen to major organs. If you do not get enough oxygen to your organs or arteries, you may develop kidney disease, peripheral artery disease, and even a heart attack or a stroke.
How can the Progen method help me reduce cholesterol?
The Progen method specialises in the VLCKD – Very Low Calorie Ketogenic Diet that helps people to reduce their weight by consuming limited products with high biological value protein products.
As a result of using the Progen method, our clients have seen an increase in good cholesterol levels and have also been able to stay active throughout the day. Many studies have shown that an increase in cholesterol levels could lead to multiple heart disease.
Know your numbers
As high cholesterol doesn’t cause noticeable symptoms, you might not even realise you have it. The only way to detect high cholesterol is through a blood test. It may already be too late by the time you discover it.
The result measures it in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). You can expect the following results when you have your cholesterol levels checked:
- Total blood cholesterol. This includes your HDL, LDL, and 20 percent of your total triglycerides.
- It is recommended that this number be below 150 mg/dL. The most common type of fat is triglycerides. If both your triglycerides are high and your LDL is also high but your HDL is low, you’re at risk of developing atherosclerosis.
- HDL: the higher the number, the better. For women, it should be at least 55 mg/dL and for men, it should be 45 mg/dL.
- LDL: The lower the number, the better. Unless you have diabetes, heart disease, or blood vessel disease, it should not exceed 130 mg/dL. In the case of any of these conditions or high total cholesterol, the level should not exceed 100 mg/dL.
Factors contributing to high cholesterol
High cholesterol can be caused by several lifestyle factors, including:
- Obesity
- An unhealthy diet consisting of red meat, dairy products with full cream, saturated fats, trans fats, and processed foods
- An excessive waist circumference (more than 40 inches for men and over 35 inches for women).
- Absence of regular exercise
- Living an unhealthy lifestyle
High cholesterol may be caused directly or indirectly by stress. When stress is unmanaged, it can lead to behaviours that increase LDL and total cholesterol, such as:
- Excessive consumption of fatty foods
- Inactivity
- Excessive smoking
In some cases, high LDL is inherited. This condition is called familial hyper cholesterol
Source: https://www.healthline.com/health/hdl-vs-ldl-cholesterololemia (FH)
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