Can someone please explain cholesterol to me?

you are probably better researching this one by yourself, because I have highish cholesterol genetically and the amount of misinformation that gets throw around here on this topic is beyond belief. The best one was from an alleged nurse who said 'it's produced by the body so it can't be bad', I mean so is cancer yet, I still be concerned if my body produced that one.

However I think tracking your fats, particularly your 'good fats' and ensuring you don't have transfats, would be more beneficial then cholesterol, simply because not every food that has cholesterol will have it listed in the database.

Also IF dieting is a great way of improving the size of your LDL particles (the bigger they are the better).

Good luck.

Actually, the smaller the better. HDL is High-density lipoprotein, meaning dense and small. LDL is low-density lipoprotein, meaning large and less dense. HDL carries more protein and less cholesterol and triglycerides than LDL and also "scavenges" the bad LDL and takes it back to the liver for removal.

Foods that can increase the numbers and efficiency of HDL are nuts (walnuts, almonds, other nuts), healthy oils (olive and canola), and fish (salmon, halibut, etc). There are other foods, but those are the biggies. Also exercise has a pretty significant positive impact on HDL levels.

Foods that can help decrease your LDL levels are foods high in soluble fiber (oats, oat bran, kidney beans, apples, prunes, others) as well as eliminating trans fats.

Not too sure where you are getting your information regarding LDL particle size (ideal)?

Attached is a study you may find of interest - feel free to reciprocate (I like reading new studies).

Cheers.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20880415

Sorry, I misread you as meaning lipoproteins overall (and the bigger the better), not just LDL. Yes, LDL is more easily cleared from the body as "big fluffy" LDL particles.

Hello

I have just had my cholesterol tested and am in the desirable range (total 4.13mmol, HDL 1.24mmol) but my HDL is slightly down on last year. I want to keep an eye on this so I have changed the settings on MFP to show me my daily cholesterol target but now I'm slightly confused. My goal is 300 but I am not really sure what that means?

Also, I thought nuts were a good source of good cholesterol but I had 5 brazil nuts earlier and they are showing as 0.

Thanks in advance

Lisa

This 9 part series will tell you anything you could ever want to know about cholesterol.

http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/the-straight-dope-on-cholesterol-part-i

Maybe the NIH can help. This is a pretty good article:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cholesterol.html

Your blood levels of 4.13 mmol/L total and 1.24 mmol/L convert to 160 mg/dl total and 50 mg/dl HDL (what Americans are used to seeing reported on lab results). This is all good. Recommendations are for under 200 total and above 40 for HDL. Your ratio of total cholesterol to HDL is 3.2 - recommended is below 3.5. So, you probably don't need to change the way you're eating.

If you want to increase HDL, aerobic exercise and moderate alcohol intake have been shown to increase HDL. Certain other foods may also increase HDL. - Listed here: http://www.webmd.com/heart/how-to-boost-your-good-cholesterol

Harvard's dietary recommendations are plant bias, so it popular with people that share those opinions.

You are confusing dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels. The types of fat and carbohydrates you eat often affects your blood cholesterol more than dietary cholesterol.

Maybe this will help.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/

Having read through it I do think it's conclusions about saturated fats are out of date and incorrect. I personally would suggest moving away from margarine and back to butter. IMHO

Effect of a high saturated fat and no-starch diet on serum lipid subfractions in patients with documented atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14601690

The best thing to do to raise your HDL is exercise.

Also, "cholesterol" found in foods really has nothing to do with your total cholesterol/LDL/HDL levels. Fats are much, much more important.

Saturated fats and trans fats = bad fats = raise LDL (bad cholesterol).

Polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats = good fats = raise HDL (good cholesterol) and lower LDL and triglycerides.

How many times in the last 40 years has that been said.........well it was wrong then and it's still wrong. Transfats should be avoided, no doubt about it. Your right though exercise is and should be our foundation for overall health and it does positively effect our cholesterol.

You are confusing dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels. The types of fat and carbohydrates you eat often affects your blood cholesterol more than dietary cholesterol.

Maybe this will help.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/

Having read through it I do think it's conclusions about saturated fats are out of date and incorrect. I personally would suggest moving away from margarine and back to butter. IMHO

They are not out of date, but it is important to remember that general recommendations do not easily change. People often think new studies trump older studies, which simply is not true. One must look at all the data, old and new, to form a general recommendation. Only when there is more data pointing in a different direction do recommendations change.

As to butter or margarine, it really depends on the margarine and quantities eaten. Those with cholesterol problems would probably be better off with a margarine that contain plant sterols and no partially hydrogenated oil, especially if they eat much of it.

You are confusing dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels. The types of fat and carbohydrates you eat often affects your blood cholesterol more than dietary cholesterol.

Maybe this will help.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/

Having read through it I do think it's conclusions about saturated fats are out of date and incorrect. I personally would suggest moving away from margarine and back to butter. IMHO

They are not out of date, but it is important to remember that general recommendations do not easily change. People often think new studies trump older studies, which simply is not true. One must look at all the data, old and new, to form a general recommendation. Only when there is more data pointing in a different direction do recommendations change.

As to butter or margarine, it really depends on the margarine and quantities eaten. Those with cholesterol problems would probably be better off with a margarine that contain plant sterols and no partially hydrogenated oil, especially if they eat much of it.

If one believes that dairy fat is unhealthy, then it makes sense you would believe that.Personally refined vegetable oils are to be strictly avoided.