Averting Confusion!

Two Types of Cholesterol

• Blood or serum • Dietary Cholesterol
cholesterol – Comes from food we
– Circulates in the eat (remember it comes from
only animal products)
bloodstream
 Cholesterol FACTS

• Produced in the liver

and cells
• Waxy substance
• Often confused with
FAT
• Needed to perform a
variety of functions in
the human body.
Cholesterol in the blood stream comes from two sources

Your body produces it.

A Diet high in Cholesterol-

for some people

DO YOU KNOW? What type of fat has more of an effect on

blood cholesterol than eating foods high in dietary
cholesterol?
 The Good, The Bad
(and the ugly?)

• Cholesterol in your blood is carried by two

types of lipoproteins
– HDL ( high density lipoproteins) THE GOOD
• Connected to a decreased risk of heart disease
– LDL (low density lipoproteins) THE BAD
• Connected to an increased risk of heart disease
Listen to an
explanation of how
HDL and LDL work
in the arteries. Draw
your interpretation on
your paper.
 Atherosclerosis
the build up of a waxy plaque on the inside of blood vessels
Influences on blood cholesterol
• Make good FOOD CHOICES
– Too much trans and saturated fat can raise
LDL levels
• Keep fat intake to < 30% of calorie intake
• EXERCISE
– Aerobic exercise can increase HDL levels
• Stop Smoking
– Smoking has an adverse effect on HDL.
The Numbers You Want

• Total cholesterol 200 or less

• HDL > 35
• LDL< 130