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How Does Diet Affect Cholesterol Levels in The Blood
Do you know how many people die from cardiovascular diseases per year? Only in America, about 6,55,000 people die from these diseases. Among various cardiovascular risk factors, high cholesterol is one of the major risk factors. However, you can reduce this risk factor in various ways. Among them, diet is the first and basic treatment. Therefore, a question may arise here. How does diet affect cholesterol levels in the blood? In this article, we will explain how diet can affect cholesterol levels in the blood.
Cholesterol is a waxy substance. It is found in the blood. It is needed to build healthy cells in our body. But having high cholesterol levels can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
There are two types of cholesterol. One is Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and another is High-density lipoproteins (HDL). LDL is known as bad cholesterol. Because it clogs the arteries and makes it difficult for blood to supply to the different organs of our body.
There are lots of factors that increase the risk of having bad cholesterol such as bad nutrition, obesity, lack of exercise, smoking, age, diabetes, etc. Among them, the fat content of food has a great impact on cholesterol levels. Not only the amount but also the type of fat (especially the saturated fat) affects it.
Diet means the regulation of the amount and type of food eaten by a person for a specific purpose. The habitual consumption of products with high cholesterol content increases the blood level of cholesterol and its LDL fraction. If more than 60% of the calories in the diet are taken in the form of simple carbohydrates (sugars), the level of HDL cholesterol will be lowered. On the other hand, when the fat in the diet is replaced by complex carbohydrates (contained mainly in vegetables, legumes, fruit, or bread), beneficial effects are induced on the metabolism. Because it reduces the total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.
The fiber in vegetables, legumes, and fruit is called soluble fiber. This fiber also reduces total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.
Actually, plant products can positively affect the cholesterol level in the blood.
Plant foods are either very low in fat or they are high in fat but most of them are unsaturated and do not contain cholesterol. Most natural plant products are excellent dietary sources of complex carbohydrates, plant fiber, vitamins, and minerals like potassium and magnesium, etc. Legumes, cereal seeds, and nuts are important sources of proteins of high biological value. In addition, they contain appreciable amounts of plant sterols, which compete with the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine and help reduce its levels in the blood. Except if they have been precooked or canned, vegetables contain almost no sodium (common salt), so they help regulate blood pressure.
Numerous studies show that a diet rich in vegetables and limited in saturated fat of animal origin is associated with a lower risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cerebral thrombosis, various types of cancer, and death from any cause. Therefore, this type of diet not only helps to regulate cholesterol levels in the blood but also enables one to enjoy better health in general.
Do you know how many people die from cardiovascular diseases per year? Only in America, about 6,55,000 people die from these diseases. Among various cardiovascular risk factors, high cholesterol is one of the major risk factors. However, you can reduce this risk factor in various ways. Among them, diet is the first and basic treatment. Therefore, a question may arise here. How does diet affect cholesterol levels in the blood? In this article, we will explain how diet can affect cholesterol levels in the blood.
Cholesterol is a waxy substance. It is found in the blood. It is needed to build healthy cells in our body. But having high cholesterol levels can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
There are two types of cholesterol. One is Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and another is High-density lipoproteins (HDL). LDL is known as bad cholesterol. Because it clogs the arteries and makes it difficult for blood to supply to the different organs of our body.
There are lots of factors that increase the risk of having bad cholesterol such as bad nutrition, obesity, lack of exercise, smoking, age, diabetes, etc. Among them, the fat content of food has a great impact on cholesterol levels. Not only the amount but also the type of fat (especially the saturated fat) affects it.
Diet means the regulation of the amount and type of food eaten by a person for a specific purpose. The habitual consumption of products with high cholesterol content increases the blood level of cholesterol and its LDL fraction. If more than 60% of the calories in the diet are taken in the form of simple carbohydrates (sugars), the level of HDL cholesterol will be lowered. On the other hand, when the fat in the diet is replaced by complex carbohydrates (contained mainly in vegetables, legumes, fruit, or bread), beneficial effects are induced on the metabolism. Because it reduces the total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.
The fiber in vegetables, legumes, and fruit is called soluble fiber. This fiber also reduces total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.
Actually, plant products can positively affect the cholesterol level in the blood.
Plant foods are either very low in fat or they are high in fat but most of them are unsaturated and do not contain cholesterol. Most natural plant products are excellent dietary sources of complex carbohydrates, plant fiber, vitamins, and minerals like potassium and magnesium, etc. Legumes, cereal seeds, and nuts are important sources of proteins of high biological value. In addition, they contain appreciable amounts of plant sterols, which compete with the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine and help reduce its levels in the blood. Except if they have been precooked or canned, vegetables contain almost no sodium (common salt), so they help regulate blood pressure.
Numerous studies show that a diet rich in vegetables and limited in saturated fat of animal origin is associated with a lower risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cerebral thrombosis, various types of cancer, and death from any cause. Therefore, this type of diet not only helps to regulate cholesterol levels in the blood but also enables one to enjoy better health in general.
