Cholesterol
Cholesterol: Do You Know The Different Types?
Myth: All cholesterol is bad for you !!
Fact: Some types of cholesterol are essential for good health. Your body needs cholesterol to perform important jobs, such as making hormones and building cells. Cholesterol travels through the blood on proteins called lipoproteins.
Two types of lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout the body:
•High-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol.
•Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), sometimes called “bad,” cholesterol
1.HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) – The “Good” TypeHDL (High-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, sometimes called “good” cholesterol, absorbs cholesterol in the blood and carries it back to the liver. The liver then flushes it from the body. High levels of HDL cholesterol can lower your risk for heart disease and stroke. This is why it’s important to have high levels of HDL in your blood.
2.LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) – The “Bad” Type
LDL (Low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, sometimes called “bad” cholesterol, makes up most of your body’s cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol can lead to the buildup of plaque in your arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Therefore, it’s important to manage your LDL levels through regular exercise, a healthy diet, and medications if necessary.
Very Low-Density Lipoprotein (VLDL):
LDL can delve a bit deeper into VLDL (Very low-density lipoprotein) containing the highest amount of triglycerides among lipoproteins. Triglycerides, a type of fat that circulates through your blood. Triglycerides play a pivotal role in providing energy to your body’s cells, but they can also put your health at risk if their levels are too high.
VLDL transports triglycerides produced by the liver to the body’s cells. As VLDL triglycerides are broken down, they release fatty acids, contributing to the formation of LDL cholesterol.
Where to get tested for your lipid profile?
Visit your nearest Caring Pharmacy Today! Caring Pharmacy is providing cholesterol testing service. It’s important to interpret these values in conjunction with other risk factors, and healthcare professionals use them to assess an individual’s cardiovascular risk and develop appropriate strategies for prevention or management.
Bacteria are commonly associated with harmful germs that cause infections and disease. However, some of them are beneficial to our health! These helpful microorganisms are known as probiotics. Varied strains of probiotics play distinct roles in our bodies, contributing to functions such as aiding in food digestion, reducing bowel inflammation, improving bowel movement, combating disease-causing bacteria, producing essential vitamins, maintaining immunity balanced and even reducing cholesterol levels! Probiotics can be found naturally in yogurt and fermented foods, incorporated into dietary supplements, and utilized in beauty products. The most prevalent probiotics belong to groups known as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.1
Prebiotics are equally important for human health! They are specialized carbohydrates (sugar or fibre) that human cannot digest. Instead, prebiotics act as nourishment, fueling the growth and activity of probiotics. Natural sources of prebiotics included fruits, vegetables and whole grain. Additionally, they are often incorporated into food and dietary supplements. Common prebiotics listed on food labels included Galactooligosaccharides (GOS), Fructoolligosaccharides (FOS), Oligofructose (OF) and Inulin.2
How to choose the right probiotics product?
The combination of pre and probiotics are known as synbiotics. Synbiotics utilize the synergy between pre- and probiotics to provide better health outcome in various aspects. Different combination of synbiotics can provide different health benefits, so it is advisable to consult our healthcare professionals before choosing the right product based on our specific health needs.3
References
- Clinical Practice Guideline Malaysia Management of Dyslipidemia 2017 (5th Edition). Ministry of Health Malaysia./li>
- Cholesterol Levels: What You Need to Know. MedlinePlus. [Online]. [Cited in November 2023. URL available at:https://medlineplus.gov/cholesterollevelswhatyouneedtoknow.html
- What is Cholesterol?. Centers of Diseases Control and Prevention. [Online]. [Cited in November 2023]. URL available at:https://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/about.htm
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