Colesterol

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found in all parts of the body.
Your body makes some cholesterol, and some cholesterol comes from the food you eat.
Your body needs a little bit of cholesterol to work properly.
But too much cholesterol can clog your arteries and lead to heart disease.
This article focuses on cholesterol and your diet.

Function
Cholesterol helps the body produce hormones, bile acid, and vitamin D. Cholesterol moves through the bloodstream to be used by all parts of the body.

Food Sources
Cholesterol is found in eggs, dairy products, meat, and poultry.
Egg yolks and organ meats (liver, kidney, sweetbread, and brain) are high in cholesterol.
Fish generally contains less cholesterol than other meats, but some shellfish are high in cholesterol.
Foods of plant origin (vegetables, fruits, grains, cereals, nuts, and seeds) contain no cholesterol.
Fat content is not a good measure of cholesterol content. For example, liver and other organ meats are low in fat, but very high in cholesterol.

Side Effects
In general, your risk of developing heart disease or atherosclerosis goes up as your level of blood cholesterol increases.

Recommendations
More than half of the adult population has blood cholesterol levels higher than the desirable range. High cholesterol levels often begin in childhood. Some children may be at higher risk due to a family history of high cholesterol.

To lower high cholesterol levels:
Limit total fat intake to 25 - 35% of total daily calories. Less than 7% of daily calories should be from saturated fat, no more than 10% should be from polyunsaturated fat, and no more than 20% from monounsaturated fat.
Eat less than 200 mg of dietary cholesterol per day.
Get more fiber in your diet.
Lose weight.
Increase physical activity.

The recommendations for children's diets are similar to those of adults. I
t is very important that children get enough calories to support their growth and activity level, and that the child achieve and maintain a desirable body weight

In Brief:
Cholesterol can rise suddenly for unknown reasons, as it did for one Times reporter.
Dozens of measures, individually or together, can help to lower cholesterol, including exercise, weight loss, yoga and diet.
Cutting LDL, so-called bad cholesterol, by 60 milligrams can reduce heart attacks and sudden death by 50 percent after only two years.
Drugs, such as statins, should be a last resort but can be very effective.