Our Lifestyle and Lower Cholesterol
Cholesterol in our body is produced in the liver, which is the organ that uses the fats in our diet as fuel. What it produces is all the cholesterol the body needs to keep us moving. Why does it need cholesterol you may wonder? Among other things, it works by producing bile that is needed to help with digestion, protecting nerve fibers, building cell membranes, creating hormones, and also creating vitamin D.
Cholesterol that is found in our foods comes only from animal products that are rich in saturated fats. Plant foods have no cholesterol in the, at all. Our bodies need fats, of course, and we get a natural mix of them in many whole foods. But a diet that is too rich in saturated fats and transfatty acids such as those that you get in processed foods is a proven health risk. Studies now indicate that polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which can be found in olive and fish oils, are better for us and can help lower cholesterol.
Dietary fats are a concentrated source of special calories and because of this one of the two main causes of people being overweight and obesity. Lack of exercise is the other reason for this. Decreasing dietary fat and increasing regular exercise are the first and quite frankly the easiest steps that you can take to lower cholesterol and improve your overall and heart health.