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Choolesterol: Unsaturated Fats In The Body

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Although a controversy on whether cholesterol is bad or good, statistics show that cholesterol is vigorous and an essential item needed in the body, however too much of it can cause heart problems or even lead to death. For many years cholesterol has been both a friend and a foe. At normal levels, it is an essential substance of the body's normal functioning, but if it were to get the blood levels too high, it becomes a silent danger that leads to cholesterol heart attacks. Cholesterol serves with three main functions, it can be used by certain glands to manufacture steroids or cortisone. Like hormones, including sex hormones, it helps the liver to produce bile acids which are essential to the digestion of fats and most importantly its main …show more content…

Fats fall into two categories: saturated and unsaturated. Unsaturated fats can be either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Unsaturated fats are better for you than their saturated counterparts, since consuming saturated fats raises the levels of cholesterol in the blood. Saturated fats do this two ways: They help create more cholesterol in the liver, and they suppress LDL receptors on liver cells, reducing the speed of removal of LDL from the blood. Saturated fats are primarily found in foods of animal origin such as butter, milk, egg yolks and meat. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats, on the other hand , are liquids at room temperature. Foods that contain monounsaturated fats are polyunsaturated fats and may help to decrease your blood-cholesterol level if substituted for foods containing saturated fats.But fats are a necessary part of our diet .We need them to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and …show more content…

Some people take medicines called statins, in addition to lifestyle changes, to reduce their risk. Such as losing weight, eating healthier and increasing exercise because excess cholesterol can form plaque between layers of artery walls, making it a lot harder for your heart to circulate blood which can lead to a heart attack. Plaque can cause break open and cause blood clots.If a clot blocks an artery that feeds the brain, it also can cause strokes. Some people decide to start taking a statin right away. That's because their chance of having a heart attack or stroke is high, and statins can reduce this risk.For other people though it's not as clear if they need to take a

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