High cholesterol is an important cause of dyslipidemia. However, cholesterol, as an essential nutrient, will participate in many physiological activities of the human body. A reasonable diet can effectively regulate the cholesterol level in the body and make the body healthier.
How to "eat" helps to control cholesterol? What are the effects of different types of cholesterol on human body? "Life Times" interviews experts to explain it in detail for you.
Interviewed experts
Liu Juying, deputy chief physician, Department of Nutrition, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University.
Chen Lijuan, chief physician, Department of Cardiology, Zhong Da Hospital affiliated to Southeast University.
Hao Wenjun, Chief Physician of Cardiovascular Department of Liaoning Provincial People's Hospital
Cholesterol itself cannot be dissolved in blood, but must be attached to lipoprotein to enter the liver from surrounding tissues and be decomposed and excreted in the liver. Cholesterol in human body can be divided into two types through carriers:
Many people think that the higher the "good cholesterol", the better your health. However, a study published in the European Heart Journal by the research team of the University Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, said that "good cholesterol" is not as high as possible. Too high or too low will increase the risk of infection, especially gastroenteritis and bacterial pneumonia.
The study * * * included nearly 654.38 million subjects. During the six-year period, 9% of the subjects suffered from infectious diseases during hospitalization.
The researchers suggested that although high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is generally considered as good cholesterol for health, it also has a suitable range and cannot be too high.
Another study found that the increase in the level of "good cholesterol" may be caused by a rare genetic mutation. In this case, the risk of heart disease will increase. For example, in some people, the gene of scavenger receptor 1(SCARB 1) is mutated, resulting in the loss of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol transport function.
At this time, although the level of "good cholesterol" in their bodies is very high, it is difficult to transport it from the surrounding tissues to the liver to achieve the purpose of removal. On the contrary, it will accumulate in arteries, leading to arterial blockage and increasing the risk of heart disease.
It should be said that the protective effect of "good cholesterol" on the heart depends more on its mode of action than on its quantity.
If a person's high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level is lower than 1.0mmol/L (40mg/dl), it should still be adjusted by diet control, lifestyle improvement and proper exercise, and it is not recommended to adjust it by drug means.
Many people hope that the lower the LDL cholesterol level, the better, but the ideal cholesterol level is different for different people.
If there are no risk factors such as coronary heart disease, cerebral infarction, hypertension, diabetes and smoking, cholesterol should not be higher than 3.4 mmol/L. On the other hand, to actively manage bad cholesterol, it should generally be controlled below1.8 ~ 2.6 mmol/L.
If the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level is far below normal, it may indicate that the body has the following three problems:
tuberculosis
If cholesterol is not low due to drugs or diet, we need to be alert to some consumptive diseases, such as cirrhosis and hyperthyroidism. If cholesterol is too low and you lose weight, you should consider whether it is possible to cause cancer.
Too high cholesterol is bad for your health, and too low cholesterol will also affect your health. For example, the stability of cell membrane is weakened, which leads to the increase of fragility of blood vessel wall and even cerebral hemorrhage. At the same time, it will also reduce the synthesis of glucocorticoid and weaken the stress ability and immunity of human body.
eating habits
Low bad cholesterol may also be caused by unreasonable diet and low fat intake.
For example, vegetarians, or people who lose too much weight, may suffer from severe malnutrition due to too little fat intake, and their cholesterol will naturally be low.
Liver problems
Patients with severe liver disease will have low bad cholesterol due to abnormal liver metabolism and dysfunction of cholesterol synthesis, and the elderly are more likely to have dysfunction of liver synthesis.
In short, the lower the bad cholesterol, the better. If the index is too low, you should consult a doctor.
Excessive intake of cholesterol may lead to hypercholesterolemia, and then form so-called "rich diseases" such as coronary atherosclerotic heart disease. If you want to keep your cholesterol level within the normal range, you can start with your daily diet.
Soluble dietary fiber
Oats, rice bran and other foods are rich in soluble dietary fiber, which helps to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, that is, "bad" cholesterol, and also reduces the absorption of cholesterol. These foods also include beans, barley, fruits and so on.
Polyphenol sterol (zāi) alcohol
Phytosterol is a kind of sterol existing in plants. Clinical trials show that phytosterols can help reduce the absorption of cholesterol. Foods such as wheat germ, wheat bran, peanuts, almonds, spore cabbage and vegetable oil (corn oil, sesame oil, mustard oil, olive oil, etc. ) contains phytosterol.
More healthy fat
Unsaturated fatty acids in fish, walnuts, avocados and olive oil help to improve high cholesterol.
Deep-sea fish contain omega-3 fatty acids which are beneficial to human health. This unsaturated fatty acid can promote the excretion of neutral or acidic cholesterol from feces, inhibit the synthesis of lipids and lipoproteins in the liver, reduce plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
The human body cannot synthesize this fatty acid by itself, and it can only be supplemented by food.
Less saturated fat
Most saturated fats come from meat, such as beef, mutton, pork, poultry with skin, butter, cream, cheese, whole milk and so on.
Some vegetable fats such as coconut oil and palm oil (often hidden in snacks) also contain saturated fat.
Less "refined carbohydrates"
Excessive intake of refined carbohydrates and sugars can easily be converted into fat in the liver, causing dyslipidemia, fatty liver and other diseases. Refined carbohydrates mainly exist in foods rich in carbohydrates such as refined rice and noodles.
Less non-dairy creamer
The fat content of non-dairy creamer is 20%~75%, which not only can not increase nutrition, but also contains hydrogenated vegetable oil, which will bring "trans fatty acids" which are the most harmful to cardiovascular system.
Excessive intake of trans fatty acids will increase bad cholesterol, reduce the content of benign cholesterol and interfere with the metabolism of essential fatty acids.