Many people when looking for a high cholesterol diet are unaware that cholesterol is largely produced by us.
Cholesterol is in fact a small fat molecule. We find it in the membranes of cells, and it is used to produce mostly sex hormones, bile acids and to synthesize vitamin D. But it is a molecule that is produced in biosynthesis for about eighty percent, therefore by our own body, and metabolized by our liver.

If you think you know all about cholesterol, skip page one and go to two.
If not, test yourself with this reading. In simple words, I try to explain to you what caspiterine is cholesterol.

CHOLESTEROL: WHAT IT IS AND WHAT “GOOD OR BAD” MEANS

Cholesterol forms substances called lipoproteins. They are a mix of cholesterol, triglycerides and proteins, like little packets. These substances are created to make the fats go into the blood: practically inside the lipoprotein packet are fats. Otherwise, not being soluble in water, the fats could not circulate in the blood.

When we talk about good cholesterol , that’s not just cholesterol, but high-protein, low-cholesterol lipoprotein. Conversely, when we talk about bad cholesterol , we mean low protein density lipoproteins and high cholesterol. In short, we have packets of different consistencies circulating in the blood.
HDL cholesterol is the first, they are the high protein density lipoproteins. LDL cholesterol is the second.
HDL and LDL together do not make total cholesterol, because we must also count those lipoproteins that have more triglycerides and less cholesterol and proteins, but still have a small percentage of cholesterol.
These exist but are neither HDL nor LDL.

This is why total cholesterol is not only the sum of HDL and LDL, but also a fraction of triglycerides.
If I do blood tests, I need at least two values ​​to figure out if my cholesterol will harm me or not. Total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol from which with an easy calculation we can derive the LDL. Or the total and the LDL from which with another calculation we can derive the HDL.

Many people on Dcomedieta write to me asking: I have total cholesterol at tot (put a number) is it okay in your opinion or not? The answer is: risk cannot be assessed with certainty without at least one other value.

HIGH CHOLESTEROL: WHAT DOES IT COME FROM?

Those with hypercholesterolemia either produce more cholesterol than they should, or take too much from their diet, i.e. eat too much fat. Finally, there may be other reasons for having high cholesterol. Some genetics, others health.

For example, cholesterol is produced but not used efficiently by our body. Why?

People with hypothyroidism often have high cholesterol. Because?
Because the cholesterol produced is not converted well into hormones: therefore on the one hand we have a reduced hormone production, on the other hand we have high cholesterol, which is no longer functional for this purpose as it should.

If you suffer from high cholesterol and you think your diet or lifestyle has nothing to do with it, I recommend a good hormone check up. Sometimes the response lurks in other health problems that indirectly cause a rise in cholesterol. Same thing for vitamin D. If I never sunbathe, it is very likely that I will have high cholesterol levels. Sun exposure is one way to lower cholesterol naturally.
Cholesterol is therefore not bad. We all have it.

Those with high cholesterol should in theory pay more attention to nutrition, but also to lifestyle, reviewing habits that can naturally lead to an overproduction of cholesterol in the blood.
One of them is stress, the other is being overweight.
In both cases, the body produces the most cholesterol. To defend against stress or as a consequence of being overweight: the more weight the more cholesterol I produce by myself.

What happens to us if we have high cholesterol?

According to the World Health Organization, we are in a state of hypercholesterolemia if total cholesterol exceeds 200 mg / dl, and the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol is 5 for men and 4.5 for women.
This value is precautionary: in fact the value was once greater. Now we are thinking with a view to prevention, for which the limit value of total cholesterol has lowered to 200 mg / dl.

When we do the blood tests, the items concerning cholesterol are ultimately three: total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol (the so-called good cholesterol) and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).