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How does a low cholesterol diet affect heart health?
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Cholesterol is produced primarily in the liver and enters the body with food. We are talking about a fat-like substance that a person needs in adequate quantities, since it plays the role of a building material for cell membranes. In addition, cholesterol is necessary for the synthesis of certain human hormones. However, its excess is dangerous and can provoke the development of a number of diseases of the circulatory system.
Changes in diet to lower cholesterol involve the replacement of saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats and improve overall health of the vascular network and heart. This conclusion was voiced by the scientists who conducted the study, led by Anne Carson, a doctor of the American Association of Cardiology.
The predominant amount of cholesterol present in the blood is produced by the liver and is used to form new cellular structures. However, the use of fatty dairy products, fatty meat and sausages, as well as other similar products add to the body not only "excess" cholesterol, but also a lot of saturated fats that can lead to the accumulation of excess cholesterol in the blood. In turn, such processes accelerate the deposition of dense plaque from the inside of the arterial vessels, which along the chain entails the development of cardiovascular diseases and strokes.
In their study, scientists analyzed a number of previously controlled trials related to diets and their effects on cardiac activity. The analysis process demonstrated the existence of a dose-dependent relationship between dietary cholesterol and increased arterial blockage of cholesterol - but with the condition that the amount of cholesterol entering the body exceeds the norm. It turns out that in order to maintain a healthy state of the cardiovascular system, a person needs not only to refuse to use saturated fats, but also to monitor the norm when consuming polyunsaturated fats.
The researchers also noted that the tests included in the analyzed series were carried out against the background of supplying participants with certain products and required a fairly large budget, so the number of subjects in the groups was strictly limited. But, despite this, scientists are convinced that for the health of the heart and blood vessels it is imperative to follow the principles of a healthy diet: it is preferable to eat vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, white poultry, fish and seafood, nuts and seeds. Many will ask: is it possible to include chicken eggs in the diet? Nutritionists note that, on a general scale, the use of eggs in different ways did not affect the cardiac activity of the study participants, so it is quite possible to use one egg a day without danger of harming the cardiovascular system.
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