Grains containing fiber. Lose weight with fiber-rich foods

Cholesterol is a substance that is necessary for the formation of cell membranes. It provides their elasticity and permeability, and hence the ability to receive nutrients.

In addition, cholesterol protects red blood cells from hemolytic poisons. And one more thing: cholesterol is part of the brain cells and nerve fibers.

Cholesterol is needed by the body in certain quantities.

Such a large number of vital functions can only be performed by a useful substance. Why then do the media talk about the dangers of cholesterol and limit its use? Why is high cholesterol as undesirable for diabetics as high sugar? Let's look into this issue, consider the types of cholesterol and their effects on the body of a diabetic.

Cholesterol and vascular fragility

Here is an interesting fact for supporters of cholesterol diets: 80% of cholesterol is synthesized in the human body (liver cells). And only the remaining 20% come from food.

Increased production of cholesterol occurs in the body under certain conditions. With the loss of elasticity in the vessels of the liver, an increased amount of cholesterol is produced. It settles on microcracks and rams them, preventing further rupture of vascular tissues.

An increase in the size and number of cholesterol deposits narrows the lumen of blood vessels and disrupts blood flow. Fragile blood vessels filled with cholesterol plaques cause heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and other vascular diseases.

With high cholesterol, it is important to reconsider the lifestyle and abandon the effects of factors that reduce the elasticity of blood vessels, form microcracks and this cause increased production of cholesterol in the human liver:

Obesity and consumption of trans fats.
Lack of fiber in food and intestines.
Inactivity.
Smoking, alcohol and other chronic poisoning (for example, industrial and urban vehicle emissions, environmental poisons - fertilizers in vegetables, fruits and groundwater).
Lack of nutrition of vascular tissues (vitamins, especially A, C, E and P, trace elements and other substances for cell regeneration).
Increased amount of free radicals.
Diabetes. A patient with diabetes constantly receives an increased amount of cholesterol in the blood.

Why do blood vessels suffer in diabetes, and an increased amount of fatty matter is produced?

Diabetes and cholesterol: how does it happen?

In diabetes mellitus, the first unhealthy changes are formed in human vessels. Sweet blood reduces their elasticity and increases fragility. In addition, diabetes produces an increased amount of free radicals.

Free radicals are highly reactive cells. This is oxygen, which lost one electron and became an active oxidizing agent. In the human body, oxidizing radicals are needed to fight infection.

In diabetes, the production of free radicals is greatly increased. Fragility of blood vessels and slowing of blood flow forms inflammatory processes in the vessels and surrounding tissues. An army of free radicals is fighting against the foci of chronic inflammation. Thus, multiple microcracks are formed.

Sources of active radicals can be not only oxygen molecules, but also nitrogen, chlorine, hydrogen. For example, active compounds of nitrogen and sulfur are formed in cigarette smoke, they destroy (oxidize) lung cells.

Cholesterol modifications: "good" and "bad"

An important role in the formation of cholesterol deposits is played by the modification of the fatty substance. The chemical cholesterol is a fatty alcohol. It does not dissolve in liquids (blood, water). In human blood, cholesterol is combined with proteins. These specific proteins are transporters of cholesterol molecules.

The complex of cholesterol and transporter protein is called lipoprotein. In medical terminology, there are two types of complexes:

high density lipoproteins (HDL). High-molecular dissolves well in the blood, does not form sediment or deposits on the walls of blood vessels (cholesterol plaques). For ease of explanation, this high molecular weight cholesterol-protein complex is referred to as "good" or alpha cholesterol.
low density lipoproteins (LDL). Low molecular weight are difficult to dissolve in the blood and are prone to precipitation. They form on the walls of blood vessels the so-called cholesterol plaques. This complex is called "bad" or beta-cholesterol.

"Good" and "bad" types of cholesterol should be in a person's blood in certain quantities. They perform different functions. "Good" - removes cholesterol from the tissues. In addition, it captures excess cholesterol and also removes it from the body (through the intestines). "Bad" - transports cholesterol to tissues for the construction of new cells, the production of hormones and bile acids.

Blood test for cholesterol

A medical test that provides information about the amount of "good" and "bad" cholesterol in the blood is called a blood lipid test. The result of this analysis is called lipid profile. It shows the amount of total cholesterol and its modifications (alpha and beta), as well as the content of triglycerides.

The total amount of cholesterol in the blood should be in the range of 3-5 mol / l for a healthy person and up to 4.5 mmol / l for a diabetic patient.

At the same time, 20% of the total amount of cholesterol should be accounted for by the “good” lipoprotein (from 1.4 to 2 mmol / l for women and from 1.7 to mol / l for men).
70% of total cholesterol should go to "bad" lipoprotein (up to 4 mmol / l, regardless of gender).

A persistent excess of beta-cholesterol leads to vascular atherosclerosis (you can learn more about the disease). Therefore, patients with diabetes take this test every six months (to determine the risk of vascular complications and take timely measures to reduce LDL in the blood).

Lack of any of the cholesterol is just as dangerous as their excess. With an insufficient amount of "high" alpha cholesterol, memory and thinking are weakened, depression appears. With a lack of "low" beta-cholesterol, failures are formed in the transport of cholesterol to the cells, which means that the processes of regeneration, the production of hormones and bile slow down, and the digestion of food becomes more difficult.

Diabetes and cholesterol diet

A person receives with food only 20% of the cholesterol substance. Limiting cholesterol in the menu does not always prevent cholesterol deposits. The fact is that only the presence of "bad" cholesterol is not enough for their formation. Microdamage to the vessels on which cholesterol deposits are formed is necessary.

With diabetes, vascular complications are the first side effect of the disease.

A diabetic needs to limit the fats that enter his body in reasonable quantities. And selectively treat the types of fatty substances in food, do not consume animal fats and foods with trans fats. Here is a list of products that need to be limited in the menu of a diabetic patient:

Fatty meat (pork, lamb), fatty seafood (red caviar, shrimp) and offal (liver, kidney, heart) are limited. You can eat dietary chicken meat, low-fat varieties of fish (hake, cod, pike perch, pike, flounder).
Sausage, smoked products, meat and canned fish, mayonnaise (contain trans fats).
Excluded confectionery, fast foods and chips (the entire modern food industry works on the basis of cheap trans fats or cheap palm oil).

What can diabetics from fats:

Vegetable oils (sunflower, linseed, olive, but not palm - it contains a large amount of saturated fats and carcinogens, and not soy - the benefits of soy oil are reduced by its ability to thicken the blood).
Dairy products with a low fat content.

Measures to Lower Cholesterol in Diabetes

In the 18th century, for the first time, a white, dense substance was obtained from stones extracted from the gallbladder. At the beginning of the 19th century, pure cholesterol was isolated from a similar substance (“chole” - bile, “sterol” - fatty).

But popularity and fame came to this substance much later, when it turned out that atherosclerosis has terrible consequences and atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels occur in half of the entire planet.

Cholesterol is naturally produced in the body and is a structural combination of lipids (fats) and steroids

Attention to cholesterol and its compounds was attracted by the Americans during the war between America and Korea. All the bodies of US soldiers who died were carefully examined post-mortem. It was then that shocking conclusions were made: almost half of the young soldiers had vessels affected by atherosclerosis. And to a large extent. The lumen of the vessels of the heart were narrowed, on average, by half! After the publication of this information, cholesterol "woke up famous."

It was found that the lion's share of all deaths is associated with high levels of cholesterol and its compounds: from heart attacks, strokes, hypertension ... In the United States, many programs have been developed and introduced to inform the population, change nutrition, and lifestyle. They gave good results: atherosclerotic complications began to decrease. Programs began to be applied in Europe and other countries.

Compounds of cholesterol in the blood

All cholesterol that comes from food and is synthesized by the body is a lipophilic alcohol that is insoluble in water. For its transport throughout the body, there are special carriers-proteins. This complex with cholesterol is called lipoproteins and is represented by fats and proteins. They differ in form, composition, ratio of constituent substances:

The largest are chylomicrons.
A little smaller - pre-beta-lipoproteins (very low density lipoproteins, VLDL).
Smaller beta lipoproteins (beta cholesterol, low density lipoproteins, LDL).
The smallest are alpha lipoproteins (alpha cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins, HDL).

Unlike LDL, HDL has almost twice as much protein.

The relevance of lipoproteins

The body needs all lipoproteins. Beta lipoproteins are important in transporting cholesterol from the liver to the tissues. In the tissues of cholesterol, the necessary hormones, enzymes, etc. are formed. And only their excess leads to pathological changes in blood vessels and tissues.

The function of HDL, or alpha cholesterol, is to transfer cholesterol from cells of various tissues, and from blood vessels, including to the liver, where they are metabolized: cholesterol is broken down into bile acids and leaves the body.

High lipoprotein levels are a major risk factor for the premature development of fatty deposits in the arteries, leading to coronary heart disease.

The sizes of beta lipoproteins and alpha lipoproteins allow them to easily penetrate into the vessels. It is from them that deposits are formed at the very beginning on the inner side of the vascular wall. But, being small, alpha proteins can easily, as it were, “jump out” of the vascular wall. This is much more problematic for beta lipoproteins. Therefore, they linger in the vessels. But alpha proteins come to the rescue, which, leaving the vessels, are capable of “knocking out” pre-beta lipoproteins and beta lipoproteins from the vascular wall, as well as capturing and removing cholesterol.

HDL can quite successfully deal with LDL, the level of which is elevated. But the effectiveness of such protection decreases when LDL, deposited on the inner wall of blood vessels, are oxidized. Then the body reacts to them with increased formation of antibodies. This leads to a local inflammatory response in the vessel, which interferes with the cleansing protective function of HDL. As a result, the shell of the vessel undergoes pathological changes.

Hence the name "bad" cholesterol (beta; LDL and pre-beta lipoproteins, VLDL) and "useful" (alpha lipoproteins; HDL).

Alpha proteins are produced by the body in much smaller amounts than beta proteins. In addition, “good” cholesterol does not come from the human diet. If it is elevated in a person's blood, then this condition is deservedly called the longevity syndrome. By its presence, it protects the body from pathological deposits in the vessels and not only.

It ensures the optimal functioning of the membranes of all cells. Participates in the growth of tissues, isolation of nerve fibers, has a protective function for red blood cells, protecting them from toxins, participates in the synthesis of hormones. They are also necessary in maintaining a normal water balance in the human body.

Control of cholesterol and lipoproteins

The optimal method for studying the levels of alpha and beta lipoproteins, as well as cholesterol, their ratio is a lipid profile.

It is determined by venous blood. Before taking the analysis, some preparation is required:

refusal of food for 12 hours;
exclusion of fatty foods for a week;
exception physical activity during the week;
cessation of smoking and alcohol per day.

A general cholesterol test can be done as part of a lipid profile that also checks for LDL (low density lipoprotein), HDL (high density lipoprotein) and triglycerides

To determine the ratio of lipoproteins in the blood, the calculation of the atherogenic coefficient (CA) is used. It is a calculated value.

The interpretation of the CA is as follows:

KA up to 3 - norm;
KA 3−5 - high;
KA more than 5 - sharply increased.

The normal level of KA varies depending on the age, gender, and the presence of menopause in women. For the elderly with cardiac pathologies, the level of CA, which is relatively elevated compared to the young, is a variant of the norm.

Interpretation of study results

Indicators of cholesterol, lipoproteins are not informative in themselves. Their ratios are important.

Alpha Lipoproteins

If the level of HDL falls below 0.9 mmol / l, then the result is the formation of atherosclerotic changes.

There is an inverse relationship between a decrease in HDL levels and the development of ischemic changes in the heart. It has been proven that with a decrease in HDL by 5 mg / dl (0.13 mmol / l) in relation to the norm, it leads to an increase in the likelihood of the formation or progression of ischemic changes in the heart by 25%. Therefore, in medicine, a decrease in HDL levels is considered more alarming than an increase in LDL.

If the alpha lipoprotein parameter is 0.91 mmol / l, then this indicates a high risk of coronary artery disease.

And an increase of more than 1.56 mmol / l has a protective role. An increase in the level of HDL-cholesterol in the blood relative to LDL has anti-atherosclerotic significance.

Normally, HDL exceeds 1 mmol / l in the blood. High numbers are only good for the body. At a low level (less than 0.78 mmol / l), the likelihood of atherosclerosis with the corresponding consequences increases significantly. This may indicate a high risk of developing strokes, heart attacks, the presence of blood clots in any organs. Depressive states are possible. In women, hormonal disruptions are possible.

The best HDL level is at least 1.55 mmol/l. Good - 1.3-1.54 mmol / l. Low in women is considered less than 1.4 mmol / l, in men - 1.03 mmol / l. In a person who has had a myocardial infarction, HDL: 1-1.6 mmol / l.

If total cholesterol is diagnosed as high, then the alpha protein index will be decisive. Their high level will indicate normal health.

The level of beta lipoproteins can be increased with the following pathologies:

Atherosclerotic disorders of cerebral circulation.
Ischemic changes in the heart and other organs.
Thrombosis in the vessels of any organs.
Liver diseases, especially with a decrease in LDL metabolism and a violation of the movement of bile.
Obesity.
Hypertension.
Addiction to fatty foods rich in animal fats.
cholestasis.
Renal inflammatory processes.
Thyroid deficiency.
diabetes mellitus.
Inflammatory pathologies, stones in the bile ducts.
Treatment with anabolics, corticosteroids, androgens.
biological variations. The results may be falsely high. It is recommended to repeat the analysis in a month.

Lowering cholesterol levels is now the most important factor in the prevention of atherosclerosis and heart attacks.

It is also possible to reduce the level of beta-lipoproteins below normal:

With anemia with a deficiency of vitamins B6 and B12.
Oncopathology of the bone marrow.
liver failure.
thyrotoxicosis.
Burdened heredity.
With autoimmune diseases.

Therapeutic measures

The synthesis of HDL in the body is facilitated by eating oat flour and bran, fatty fish, fish oil supplements, beans, soy, greens, apples. It is recommended to use these products as the main diet.

Most LDL is synthesized in the body. With food, a person receives no more than 30%. Therefore, a change in nutrition is necessary, but plays a secondary role.

Medicines

Statins. Helps reduce cholesterol levels by 50-60%. They help to optimize the functioning of the liver. They cleanse the blood of cholesterol.

Fibrates (they speed up the metabolism of fatty acids).

Sequestrants. Reduce cholesterol synthesis.

A nicotinic acid. It competes for chemical processes in the liver. Helps to increase HDL.

Dietary supplement Policosanol (natural vegetable wax extract).

Thus, alpha lipoproteins and beta lipoproteins are related and interdependent on each other. The body needs them, an increase in one can be corrected by the action of the other, in the analysis their level is estimated relative to each other.

What to do if, after passing the tests, it turned out that good cholesterol is lowered? Urgently consult a doctor until the problem is reflected in dangerous diseases.

For many people who are far from medicine, the mere word “cholesterol” can cause panic. They mistakenly believe that being in the body carries only danger. In fact, it not only settles on the vascular walls, leading to the likelihood of stroke and heart attacks. There is another type: good cholesterol is needed for many important processes in organism. If good cholesterol is lowered, there is a risk of serious health problems.

What is meant by such a concept? In official medicine, this substance is presented as a useful alpha-cholesterol, which is part of lipoproteins. The latter are known for their complex compounds of proteins and fats. There are two types of such structures.

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) with a high protein content (good cholesterol).
Low-density lipoproteins (LDL), which have a reduced protein content (bad cholesterol).

By outward signs a useful type is a fatty substance that takes part in the formation of cells (builds a framework for the remaining elements of cellular structures). And in the same cell, cholesterol strengthens the membrane, protecting it from free radicals. The norm and the fact that he had the role of participating in the synthesis of many important hormones, it affects the absorption of many vitamins A, E, K. These facts explain why if you reduce the rate of this beneficial substance poses a threat to human health.

What causes a lack of HDL

Being in their normal range, high-density lipoproteins provide protection against cancer, stress and heart disease. In some way, the substance can also affect memory. What happens when their level is lowered?

Scientists believe that there is a certain relationship between what the HDL norm is shown in analyzes and coronary heart disease. To find out about the development of the latter ailment, a person must monitor the level of this cholesterol: if you lower it by 0.13 mmol per liter from what the norm should be, then there are serious prerequisites for the development of coronary heart disease (at least the risk of development).

The rest of the violations will express many of the following conditions:

depression with severe suicidal desires;
decrease in sexual desire;
infertility;
the occurrence of osteoporosis;
obesity;
dysfunction of the thyroid gland;
increased intestinal permeability;
the risk of diabetes;
risk of hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in the brain).

The list is far from complete, but even this shows that the problem is serious. But it does not arise out of nowhere - in order for a low level of good cholesterol to be stated in the body, a large number of prerequisites must arise. So why hesitate allowable rate substances and renders the necessary indicator reduced?

Causes of HDL deficiency

A number of certain provocateur factors can reduce the content of HDL in the blood. The problem has not yet been sufficiently studied, but there are already serious reasons to believe that the sources lie in such aspects.

The decrease occurs with any liver disease.
Incorrect use of food with a low fat content (this also includes starvation, the wrong diet plan, excessive zeal in vegetarianism) or with a high sugar content.
The level is reduced in frequent stressful situations.
Sending heavy metals.
Some forms of anemia can lower HDL.
Infectious diseases that cause fever.
hereditary predisposition.

Unwittingly, athletes who have chosen the wrong diet and exercise can lower good cholesterol.

How to identify the problem

When useful alpha-cholesterol in the blood is reduced, this will immediately affect the overall well-being. Of course, the true rate of the indicator can only be revealed with the help of a special biochemical analysis, but the following manifestations cannot be missed:

muscle weakness;
enlarged lymph nodes;
loss of appetite;
oiliness in feces;
decrease in reflexes;
a permanent state of depression;
decline in sexual activity.

Each of these symptoms is an indication that the norm has been violated. Analyzes will definitely reveal that the HDL ratio is reduced in the blood. But how to understand that the required coefficient is critically low?

Normal performance

If a person has normal health, then the ratio of such lipoproteins, according to the test results, will exceed 1 mmol / l. There is also an upper limit, which is 1.88 mmol / l. Within these limits, the indications are the norm. The above is already a lot, here we will talk about the fact that the bad type of HDL in the blood is increased.

This is where individual accountability is important. There is a special difference in the testimony depending on the subject's belonging to one or another group.

In women, a low rate can be detected when readings are less than 1.4 mmol / l (in general, the coefficient is from 0.7 to 1.72).
In men, the rate of the indicator will be 1.03 mmol / l (the range also varies in numbers from 0.85 to 2.29).
When a patient has previously suffered a heart attack or stroke, then his normal coefficient can be slightly reduced and equated to 1–1.6 mmol / l.

You can find out how much HDL is lowered in the blood when taking tests at any district clinic. A more reliable result can be obtained in a specialized laboratory that has passed the appropriate certification.

How to treat hypocholesterolemia

If HDL is low, it can lead to a serious condition called hypocholesterolemia. It is impossible to cure it on your own - you should definitely contact the appropriate specialist (first of all, it should be an endocrinologist).

There are many medications that the doctor will prescribe, but, in addition to them, the patient will have to reconsider his lifestyle and try on his own to reduce the likelihood of developing dangerous ailments.

The changes will affect nutrition. Food cannot be overcooked. A separate requirement goes to meat - it is desirable to bake, stew, boil it more often (steaming is very useful). It is also best to choose steamed vegetables as a side dish. Such measures will help to simultaneously reduce the level of bad cholesterol and increase good.
Sunflower oil should be replaced with olive oil.
Smoking cessation is required. This will help reduce stress on the arteries.
A sufficient level of physical activity is important (especially for those people who sit a lot during the working day).
For medical reasons, liver cleansing is possible (honey and mineral water are suitable for this).

Folk remedies

By using folk recipes you can also increase this substance in the blood. There are a lot of them, but one of the most effective folk remedies there will be a carrot diet. It consists in the daily use of freshly squeezed carrot juice or just the vegetable itself. You can combine it with celery, onions or parsley.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of greenery in restoring health. In addition to large doses of parsley consumption, dill can also be advised here. If HDL levels are low, a salad that can be made from white cabbage, bell pepper and celery. Any food high in vitamin C will play a role in restoring health (as well as lowering LDL).

You can also raise your cholesterol level to the required height by eating the following products:

beef brains;
caviar;
egg yolks;
Dutch cheese;
butter;
Pacific mackerel;
nuts;
garlic (three cloves a day);
legume crops.

But in pork fat it will not help much to increase good cholesterol when the indicator is lowered: it contains only a small concentration of the necessary substance - only 0.1 grams for every 100 grams of product.

There are specific recipes that will help if HDL levels are low.

You should take 4 heads of garlic (medium) and the same number of lemons. Do not remove the peel from the latter, but crank it all together through a blender or meat grinder. The whole mass is placed in a jar with a capacity of 3 liters and poured boiled water to the top. In this case, the mixture is infused for three days (twice a day it will be necessary to mix it). As for the dosage, then take this infusion should be 100 grams three times a day.
In the second recipe, if the HDL index is lowered, grapefruit (1 piece) should be peeled from the films, finely chopped with a knife and placed in a bowl. Then add 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 cup of kefir, yogurt or yogurt here. This mixture is taken in the morning on an empty stomach, 1 tablespoon.

So, the optimal rate of good cholesterol in the blood is determined individually. It must be within the established boundaries, which every person who monitors his own health should remember.