According to the April 17, 2009 National Vital Statistics Report, the leading causes of death amongst Americans were 1.) heart disease, 2.) cancer and 3.) stroke. Although cancer is not perceived as easily treatable or preventable, both heart disease and stroke share a common underlying factor, cholesterol, which can be significantly reduced with a proper lifestyle change of healthier eating habits and exercise.
Thirty-eight percent of Americans have exceptionally high cholesterol levels. Although in smaller concentrations, cholesterol provides benefits to the body in terms of aiding in digestion, hormone production, fat absorption, vitamin D synthesis, building cell membranes and carrying fat through the blood vessels, too much cholesterol can be bad for the body. The liver already produces enough cholesterol naturally that excess dietary cholesterol may overwork the system if not properly removed from the body.
One of the ultimate results of excessively high cholesterol levels is atherosclerosis—the thickening/stiffening of the arteries with cholesterol plaque. As low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol continues to collect in the arteries, the wider spaces previously available for blood flow narrow. Consequently, blood faces a higher rate of clotting, or stopping, contributing to the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke, two of the three leading causes of death.
There are three basic forms of cholesterol—very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The higher the density, the better the cholesterol is considered for our health. To put it another way, imagine that dense means compact and imagine your arteries were like tunnels for the passing of traffic. VLDL cholesterol, 60 to 70 percent of which is composed of triglycerides, is comparable to a huge, wide truck moving through the tunnel. Treat LDL like a normal pick-up truck or large car. Then view HDL as a motorcycle. If all at once, you had VLDL and LDL cholesterol flowing through your bloodstream like a bunch of massive vehicles crowding into a tunnel, the passageway would ultimately get congested. And it does, which is what leads to all of the coronary heart conditions that follow, which is why limiting the amount of VLDL and LDL, or very “bad” and “bad,” cholesterol you have is so important.
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