Where is Cholesterol Produced in the Body

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance produced by the body in the liver and is essential for correct body functioning. It is needed for building blocks for healthy cell walls, some hormones and digestive juices.

We all produce cholesterol from fat we eat but some people produce more than others and this is where ‘raised cholesterol’ problem starts. Measuring ‘good' and ‘bad’ cholesterol is a way of showing that you are using and cleaning away excess cholesterol efficiently. The higher your ‘good’ cholesterol the better.

Causes of Heart Attack and Stroke

Studies have shown that high cholesterol levels increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. If ‘bad’ cholesterol is not checked it could seriously damage the body.

Cholesterol is carried in the blood stream where some is deposited into the inner linings of the arteries. These fatty deposits build up causing the artery walls to thicken and become less flexible. The arteries narrows and restrict blood flow. If the fatty deposits continues to build up, they will eventually shut off blood supply to the arteries. If the blood stoppage occurs in an artery feeding the brain, a stroke might occur. If the clogged artery feeds the heart, a heart attack may occur.

Types of Dietary Fat
1/ Saturated

Increases both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol

Having too much saturated fat in the diet can increase the amount of total cholesterol in the blood.

High blood cholesterol increases the risk of developing strokes or heart disease.

Example of food containing saturated fats are meat, fatty sausages, beef burgers, pies, pastries, cakes, biscuits, chocolates, lard, butter, coconut and palm oil.

2/ Unsaturated

Unsaturated fats don’t raise cholesterol in the same way as saturated fats. There are 2 types of unsaturated fats, Polyunsaturated and Monounsaturated.

2.1/ Polyunsaturated

Decreases both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol.

Polyunsaturated fats when substituted for saturated fats in the diet lower total cholesterol. This decreases the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

Examples of food containing polyunsaturated fats are vegetable oil, sunflower oil, oily fish .

2.2/ Monounsaturated

Increases ‘good’ cholesterol.
Decreases ‘bad’ cholesterol.

Monounsaturated fats are the most beneficial types of fat. This is because within total cholesterol, there are both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fractions.

Monounsaturated fats lower ‘bad’ cholesterol without adversely affecting ‘good’ cholesterol.

Good cholesterol is cardio-protective.

Example of food containing monounsaturated fats are olive oil, groundnut oil, rapeseed oil and nuts.

3/ Essential Fatty Acids (Omega 3 fatty acids)

Oily fish is the best source of Omega 3 fatty acids. These have been shown to help protect against coronary heart disease and make the blood ‘less sticky’. Eating a couple of portion of oily fish such as the mackerel family( mackerel, tuna & swordfish) , the herring family (sardines, anchovies, herring, shad), the salmon family (Atlantic salmon & Pacific salmon), trout, pilchards, kipper, eel and whitebait can provide these health benefits.

4/ Trans Fatty Acid

Trans fats can be formed when liquid vegetable oil are turned into solid fats through the process of hydrogenation. This is often done to improve the production of superior properties in products.

Food containing hydrogenated vegetable oil might also contain trans fats. Trans fats are often found in biscuits, cake, fast food, pastry, palm oil and some margarines and in lower levels in foods such as dairy products, beef and lamb.

The human body simply does not know what to do with trans fats as they cannot be broken down and they then have a similar bad effect on blood cholesterol as saturated fat.


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