The less bad cholesterol, the better, and the more good cholesterol, the better? In fact, this range is more appropriate!

With the popularization of health knowledge, many people know that cholesterol cannot be simply regarded as a "disaster" because the normal functioning of the human body requires the participation of cholesterol.

It participates in the formation of cells and cell membranes, ensures the normal development of the brain and nervous system, and participates in the defense mechanism of the human immune system...

But did you know that cholesterol itself does not dissolve in water and blood, and needs the help of water-soluble carrier lipoprotein to start its "body journey"?

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Depending on how it is carried, cholesterol is divided into two types: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, often called "bad cholesterol") and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, often called "good cholesterol").

So, how do you differentiate between good cholesterol and bad cholesterol?

01

How to distinguish between "good" and "bad" cholesterol?

The "good" or "bad" nature of cholesterol is mainly determined by the lipoprotein it carries:

1. Low-density lipoprotein

The low-density lipoprotein that carries bad cholesterol is mainly responsible for transporting cholesterol from the liver to various tissue cells in the body, but is not responsible for taking back the cholesterol that has been sent out;

If too much cholesterol is sent out, the body's tissue cells cannot absorb and utilize it in time.

These cholesterols are likely to remain in the blood and even adhere to the blood vessel walls, causing inflammatory reactions and leading to various cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

2. High-density lipoprotein

The high-density lipoprotein carrying good cholesterol is also called the "blood vessel scavenger". It can transport the cholesterol deposited in the blood vessels back to the liver and convert it into bile and be excreted from the body with feces.

Therefore, many people believe that the less bad cholesterol in our body, the better, and the more good cholesterol, the better, but is this really the case?

02

Low bad cholesterol increases risk of brain hemorrhage

In the past, many people thought that the lower the bad cholesterol, the better, but now studies have found that too low bad cholesterol may also pose a threat to health!

A large-scale epidemiological study on cardiovascular disease in the Chinese population also reached a similar conclusion.

This study followed up 96,043 subjects with an average age of 51.3 years for nine years and found a total of 753 cases of cerebral hemorrhage.

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The research team found that people with bad cholesterol levels of 70-99mg/dL and ≥100mg/dL had a similar risk of cerebral hemorrhage;

For people with a serum cholesterol level of less than 70 mg/dL, the risk of cerebral hemorrhage is significantly increased.

Compared with people whose bad cholesterol levels are between 70-99mg/dL, the risk of cerebral hemorrhage in people whose bad cholesterol levels are between 50-69mg/dL increases by 65%, and for people whose bad cholesterol levels are less than 50mg/dL, the risk increases by 169%!

This shows that the lower the LDL-C, the better. Under normal circumstances, the normal value of bad cholesterol is about 105-120mg/dl.

If it is too low, it may be caused by the following reasons:

1. Malnutrition

Long-term dieting or vegetarianism, with too low fat intake, can easily lead to malnutrition and a low bad cholesterol index.

Recommendation: Eat at regular times and in regular amounts for each meal, pay attention to food diversity, a combination of meat and vegetables, and a mix of coarse and fine foods; eat less fried and high-fat foods.

2. Disease consumption

Chronic wasting diseases such as hyperthyroidism, obstructive pulmonary emphysema, atrophic gastritis, and pulmonary tuberculosis consume excessive body energy, causing a negative energy balance in the body, and the bad cholesterol index may also be low.

In addition, excessive exercise will cause excessive consumption of energy. If nutrition is not replenished in time, it may also lead to a low index. Therefore, exercise should be done gradually and within one's ability.

Tip: Actively treating the primary disease is the basis for ensuring that the bad cholesterol index is at a normal level.

03

High good cholesterol increases mortality

Earlier, an American Heart Association study showed a correlation between high levels of good cholesterol and mortality;

A study by the University of Copenhagen also showed that people with extremely high levels of good cholesterol have a higher mortality rate than normal people, about 106% higher in men and 68% higher in women;

The chief consultant of the Royal Victoria Hospital in the UK pointed out more clearly that when the concentration of good cholesterol exceeds 2.3mmol/L, its protective effect on the cardiovascular system will decrease and may even begin to increase damage.

The main reasons for high good cholesterol are as follows:

1. Liver disease

Diseases such as cholestatic cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, alcoholic liver damage, and fatty liver can lead to high levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

2. Effects of drugs

Long-term injection of estrogen, insulin, taking birth control pills, heparin, etc. may also lead to excessive levels.

In addition, familial hyperalpha-lipoproteinemia can also lead to a congenitally high HDL-C index.

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04

How to maintain cholesterol balance

It seems that there is no very precise distinction between good and bad cholesterol in the body, and the human body itself has a regulatory mechanism to maintain the stability of blood cholesterol.

However, under the influence of some factors, its metabolism may be abnormal, which may become the cause of some diseases.

Therefore, what we need to do is not to focus on the numbers on the blood lipid list, but to start from ourselves, control the values ​​within the normal range and maintain the balance of cholesterol metabolism.

In other words, we must ensure the supply of cholesterol without letting it become a threat.

1. Control your intake

To maintain normal metabolism, you must first control the amount of cholesterol you consume from food to reduce the burden on your metabolic organs.

Eat less refined carbohydrates, such as refined rice and noodles; control the intake of saturated fat, such as coconut oil, palm oil, etc. in snacks, as well as poultry such as beef, mutton, and pork; eat less non-dairy creamer, such as instant coffee, beverages, etc.

2. Reduce cholesterol absorption

Soluble dietary fiber, including oats, brown rice, beans, etc., can help reduce the absorption of cholesterol.

Plant sterols, which are rich in wheat germ, wheat bran, peanuts, almonds, etc., also help reduce the absorption of cholesterol.

Combine aerobic exercise and resistance training, and exercise for more than 30 minutes at least 3 times a week to increase the body's metabolic level and reduce absorption.

3. Protect the liver

Cholesterol is mainly converted into bile acids in the liver, so normal liver function is important to maintain normal cholesterol metabolism.

Try to avoid daily behaviors that damage the liver, such as staying up late, smoking, drinking, taking medicine indiscriminately, etc.

At the same time, add more foods rich in high-quality protein to your diet, such as eggs, milk, fish, sesame, etc., to promote liver cell regeneration.

4. Intestinal probiotics

Whether it is cholesterol synthesized by the liver or cholesterol ingested from food, it must be absorbed by the small intestine, so intestinal health is also important for the excretion of cholesterol.

The higher the proportion of probiotics in the human intestine, the more active the intestine is.

Yogurt, cheese and its products, kimchi, fermented black beans and other fermented foods all contain probiotics, which can be appropriately increased in daily diet;

Supplement prebiotics, common ones include oligofructose, oligomaltose, oligosaccharides and other substances. They are food for probiotics and can stimulate the growth of probiotics in the intestines.

Review｜Li Nannan Director of Hunan Science Writers Association, Deputy Director of Research and Publicity Department of Hunan Science and Technology Association, Second-level Researcher, Chinese Science Writer (Medical Field)

Source: I am a great doctor official account

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