Cholesterol is a fat and therefore doesn’t dissolve in water and therefore blood. Protein does dissolve in water.

If cholesterol is wrapped in a protein coat it can “dissolve” in blood – and therefore be carried around the body.

Cholesterol is needed in every cell as a structural building block and as a component of some hormones.

The body has several protein coats it uses to wrap cholesterol. Some are better than others.

Cholesterol can leak from the LDL protein coat and therefore sludge up the arteries.

Cholesterol doesn’t leak from the HDL protein coat. It in fact collects loose cholesterol and protects your blood vessels from sludge.

Mono and Polyunsaturated fats increase the good HDL and decrease the bad LDL’s lowering your risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Saturated fats increase both the good HDL and the bad LDL increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

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Your blood test results – what do we measure ?

Total cholesterol
HDL cholesterol
LDL cholesterol
Triglycerides

Total cholesterols are helpful but the components that make up the total are the most useful information in assessing your cholesterol levels. Your total cholesterol is made up of

LDL cholesterol and

HDL cholesterol (there are a few others but they add little to the total)

The suggested ranges of these cholesterol levels are

Total cholesterol – less than 5 units (mmol/L)

LDL cholesterol less than 3 units

HDL cholesterol 1 or more units.

Triglycerides less than 2 units.

So when we talk about lowering the cholesterol level we actually want to lower the total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and increase the HDL cholesterol. For most people this is achieved by eating ..yes eating.

Reducing fats in the diet is the single most important factor for fat loss and lowering blood cholesterol levels.

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Dietary Fats

Fat in food is a mixture of saturated, poly- and mono-unsaturated fatty acids, with different proportions in different foods.

Saturated fats – the villains !

Polyunsaturated fats – the goodies !

Monounsaturated fats- also the goodies!

While saturated fats have the most detrimental effect on your health, all fats and oils are currently thought to increase body fat.

Saturated fats: found mainly in animal fats, the plant exceptions are coconut and palm kernel oil. These raise blood cholesterol.

Polyunsaturated fats: found mainly in Soya bean and safflower plant oils. These actively drive blood cholesterol down. (Polyunsaturated fats can also be classified as Omega 3 (mainly fish oils) and Omega 6 fatty acids (mainly from vegetable oils)

Monounsaturated fats: found mainly in olive, canola oil, avocados and peanuts. These do not raise blood cholesterol and may lower it.

Trans fatty acids: found in poorly manufactured vegetable margarines and most animal fats including butter. These raise blood cholesterol.