Posts Tagged ‘cholesterol information’

First discovered in 1955, Chromium is an essential trace mineral. Although our bodies contain only a few milligrams, even this tiny amount is critical for regulating insulin and blood sugar levels, as well as activating enzymes essential for energy production and used in many high blood pressure remedy. We get chromium through food in a lower cholesterol diet, primarily yeast, grains, nuts, prunes, potatoes, and seafood. But we don’t get enough overall; many Americans are deficient in chromium. One reason is that not following a lower cholesterol diet means high amounts of refined sugar leach chromium right out of us. Recent studies find that supplementing with chromium in a lower cholesterol diet may not only lower cholesterol but also help stabilize blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity as part of a high blood pressure remedy. Thus, it may be particularly beneficial to people with metabolic syndrome or diabetes. What the research shows: In one small study of 28 people, those taking 200 micrograms of chromium daily for 42 days had significant decreases in both total cholesterol and LDL, decreases that didn’t occur when they took a placebo. At least eight other studies have found that chromium supplementation as part of a lower cholesterol diet improved good cholesterol. And numerous studies found supplementing with at least 400 micrograms of chromium as a high blood pressure remedy improved fasting glucose levels, a sign of improved insulin sensitivity. Be aware that chromium may take several weeks or even months to yield results in a lower cholesterol diet. Who should take it: People with metabolic syndrome or diabetes, as well as anyone susceptible to chromium deficiency (including athletes, the elderly, and people who follow diets high in refined sugar) as a high blood pressure remedy or lower cholesterol diet. Recommended dose: 200 to 400 micrograms a day in divided doses for people with insulin resistance; 400 to 1,000 micrograms a day in divided doses for people with diabetes. Use chromium picolinate as your source. For everyone else the amount in a multivitamin should be sufficient in a lower cholesterol diet. Warnings/contraindications: If you have diabetes, check with your doctor; taking chromium as a high blood pressure remedy may alter your requirements for insulin or other diabetes medication.

Source: Readers Digest

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What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol). Cholesterol is a lipid found in the cell membranes of all tissues, and it is transported in the blood plasma of all animals. Because cholesterol is synthesized by all eukaryotes, trace amounts of cholesterol are also found in membranes of plants and fungi.The name originates from the Greek chole- (bile) and stereos (solid), and the chemical suffix -ol for an alcohol, as researchers first identified cholesterol in solid form in gallstones by François Poulletier de la Salle in 1769. However, it is only in 1815 that chemist Eugène Chevreul named the compound “cholesterine”. Most of the cholesterol is synthesized by the body and some has dietary origin. Cholesterol is more abundant in tissues which either synthesize more or have more abundant densely-packed membranes, for example, the liver, spinal cord and brain. It plays a central role in many biochemical processes, such as the composition of cell membranes and the synthesis of steroid hormones. Cholesterol is insoluble in blood, but is transported in the circulatory system bound to one of the varieties of lipoprotein, spherical particles which have an exterior composed mainly of water-soluble proteins. The main types, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) carry cholesterol from and to the liver.According to the lipid hypothesis, abnormally high cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia) and abnormal proportions of LDL and HDL are associated with cardiovascular disease by promoting atheroma development in arteries (atherosclerosis). This disease process leads to myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke and peripheral vascular disease. As high LDL contributes to this process, it is termed “bad cholesterol”, while high levels of HDL (”good cholesterol”) offer a degree of protection. The balance can be redressed with exercise, a healthy diet, and sometimes medication.