Apr

8

8 Things You Must Know About Cholesterol

Posted by cameron

April 8, 2007 |

The doctor says, “You must go on a statin (Lipitor)”. In modern society we eat too much and move too little so pills are the solution du jour. I have begrudgingly heeded the doctors warning but I also consider it very important to understand what is going on with my body. In researching this subject I have learned some important things. I think we all know about good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL) but following are things we all need to know:

  1. Total cholesterol into your bloodstream is liver output plus food intake. The liver output is hereditary and food intake is choice. Statins impact the liver output only. You impact food intake. Exercise affects cholesterol levels positively, particularly HDL.
  2. A great deal of exercise is required to improve cholesterol levels. The American Society On Exercise recommend moderate exercise valued at 1500 calories a week. For me that is equivalent to walking briskly for 2.5 miles 6 times a week, which is pretty much what I do. Go here to see their recommendations.
  3. Women’s HDL is generally higher than men’s.
  4. The liver pumps out large amounts of cholesterol mostly at night, which is why I take my pill in the evening.
  5. Cholesterol comes from eating food that was once a living thing. Vegetarians don’t have that problem.
  6. Saturated fat and high cholesterol tend to go hand in hand. If you are eating something high in saturated fat it is likely to be high in cholesterol. If you don’t believe me just read the food label. That’s a double whammy.
  7. A typical daily allowance for cholesterol is 300mg; a cholesterol diet would be 200mg. Knowing these numbers helps put food labels in context.
  8. The USDA has a very useful database of food nutrition that can be accessed for cholesterol content. The food is listed with a commonly understood unit of measure: a “cup of” for example. Go here to view the database. If you select the right hand column for viewing you will be presented with the data in descending order. I.e. worst foods at the top of the list.

Bottom line is this: Diet and exercise play a major role once again. But sometimes it is not enough. If you didn’t get the lucky genes from your ancestors then Statins are the answer but taking the pill is no excuse for a lousy lifestyle.


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