Cholesterol

Atherosclerosis is a serious disease that affects the vascular system and lead to further development of heart disease. It can occur for many reasons. An abbreviated list includes genetically inherited characteristics, disturbances of metabolic processes, the impact of smog and other environmental pollution, lack of physical activity, smoking, alcohol, stress, etc. A large amount of data confirms that nutrition is one of the most important factors in the emergence and development of cardiovascular diseases. This applies to both components of the diet, and the content therein micronutrients.

For example, if any food product at the same time contains fats and sugars, this can contribute to the accumulation of platelets in the blood. This not only slows down the movement of blood through the vessels, but there may be life-threatening blood clots - thrombi. Since the "normal western diet" is abundant by such products, there is nothing surprising in the fact that cardiovascular diseases are especially prevalent among the very "rich" countries of the Western world.

But there is another serious health risk, along with malnutrition. It is associated with oxidative processes in the body that inflict it significant damage.

Atherosclerosis is the deposition of atheroma (plaques) on the inner surfaces of the walls of the arteries, but this is only a prerequisite for the emergence of heart disease. The lumen of scleroid vessel is narrower than normal. It is even worse that atheroma appear in the lumen of the vessel and create ideal conditions for the formation of blood clots. Determination of the initial causes of the development of atherosclerosis, is one of the most difficult issues in its treatment.

Many researchers now believe that the original reason for this is the oxidation of molecules of "bad" cholesterol (LDL). The scientists who developed this theory of LDL oxidation, or "theory of foam cells", found that this process can be slowed, if we take antioxidant pills.

By itself, cholesterol can not be nor "bad" or "good" as in a pure form in our body it does not occur. Our blood, in fact, consists of two media - the saline plasma and water droplets carrying the various substances (we will not speak in this context of blood cells). Cholesterol is a wax-like substance, soluble only in fats, but not in the water, so it is transported through the blood by proteins called lipoproteins. These lipoproteins, depending on their composition and content in the body, may to facilitate or impede the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.

Cholesterol is a substance needed by the body. Its main biological role is the stabilization of cell membranes, which contain a large amount of fats (phospholipids). Cholesterol is also a major component of bile acids that promote digestion of food, especially fat. Without cholesterol we could not get indispensable fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K from our food.

80% of cholesterol is produced by the liver, and only 20% enters the body through food. Cholesterol exchange between the liver and bloodstream is the point of balance, which can be considered as the criterion of vessels health. In this exchange, lipoproteins, which transport cholesterol from the liver to the cell membrane and back, play an important role.

In fat metabolism, except cholesterol, other types of fats are also involved - there are triglycerides, phospholipids, unsaturated fatty acids, which also play an important role in metabolism. Triglycerides are saturated fats, typical animal fats such as butter or lard, which remains semi-solid or solid at room temperature. Phospholipids are components of lecithin, which is produced by the liver, and they in large numbers are part of cell membranes and myelin sheath of nerves. Unsaturated fatty acids in the body does not produce, and therefore they are called irreplaceable.

For many years, the media, especially in the western world, developed a negative attitude to any dietary fats. Now we know that the reason was purely economic - an advertising campaign aimed at increasing consumption of margarine as an alternative to the supposedly "harmful" food fats. Medical Administration and irresponsible authors of medical articles contributed to this witch-hunt, completely muddied the brains of people, because of what many people now do not distinguish between super-damaging trans fats contained in margarine, moderately useful animal fats and super- healing unsaturated fats, contained in some vegetable oils and fatty types of marine fish.

I call animal fats moderately useful. The fact that our liver is constantly producing bile, necessary for the emulsification of food lipids, regardless of whether there are these fats in our food, or not. And if you're a day will not eat at least 30 grams of animal fats, lack of bile flow leading to stagnation in the gallbladder, resulting formation of gallstones. Of course, an excess of animal fats will also have negative consequences, as will lead to excess body fat, and to increase the level of triglycerides in the blood.

All these types of fats, getting into the body, undergo a series of transformations. Free fatty acids formed during digestion, are absorbed by the intestinal walls and are carried in the bloodstream by special molecules with protein structure, known as lipoproteins. The main types of lipoproteins: lipoproteins with very low density (VLDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL).

VLDL and LDL transport fats (primarily triglycerides and cholesterol) from the liver to body cells, and HDL are responsible for the return of fat in the liver. Therefore, we attribute increased levels of VLDL and LDL with increased risk for atherosclerosis, and, accordingly, the risk of heart attacks. Conversely, higher HDL level reduces the risk of heart attacks. This is the basic formula of fat balance, which ensures the health of our vessels.

However, in itself an excess of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood is not the main factor that contributes to atherosclerosis. It only creates favorable conditions for its development. You know that some people since ancient times have mostly meat diet rich in animal fats and cholesterol, but before the beginning of XX century, exposure to a heart attack was not largely determined by the composition of the diet, but intemperance in eating and various excesses, accessible only to rich people.

But since nowadays food distortions have become much more common, then, cardiovascular disease had moved into first place in the statistics of deaths, and, moreover, were the first in the list of free radical diseases. In other words, entered into force the trigger mechanism of atherosclerosis, which have a direct bearing on the free radicals.

Again, free radicals themselves are not harmful factor for the body, only their excessive number is dangerous. Free radicals are the natural product of redox reactions that are the foundation of our lives. Their presence in every cell of our body provides cell-mediated immunity. They are "nurses", cleanse the body of parasites, germs and old cells.

Usually they are in the body about 5% of all available molecules, and this is normal. But if the free radicals begin to multiply uncontrollably, huddled together in packs and, like wolves, attacking healthy cells - this is not normal, in fact, mortally dangerous. If free radicals damage cell membranes, this leads to disruption of metabolic processes in the cell, its degradation, destruction and death. But if the DNA in the cell nucleus is damaged - such a cell can produce genetically modified offspring, with all the ensuing consequences.

If free radicals oxidize molecules of lipoproteins (especially LDL and VLDL), these molecules become signs of defects, and are therefore classified by cell-cleaners (macrophages), located on the walls of blood vessels, as "trash." Macrophages, overeating these oxidized molecules are transformed into "foam cells", which then form a fatty layer, characteristic for atherosclerosis.

This last stage also is characterized by the rapid multiplication of platelets. Damaged by the thrombi surface of the arteries reduces blood flow and create accumulation of platelets. Then, these clusters calcined to form atherosclerotic plaques.

The end result is increased susceptibility to thrombosis, and thus a heart attack. The importance of process described above is that free radicals cause damage to the lipid molecules, white blood cells and cells lining the arteries, which causes the development of atherosclerosis.

One problem later added another, which usually accompanies atherosclerosis: high blood pressure.

Atherosclerosis is a widespread disease. While he was "quietly" develops, the signs are absent. Unfortunately, most people with atherosclerosis know about their disease only after a heart attack or cerebral stroke.

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