Unhealthy lifestyles have made the cholesterol as the enemy of man. Yet, these substances beneficial for the brain and liver, and neural networks that exist in the human body. In fact, cholesterol plays a role in the formation of sex hormones.

Hearing the word cholesterol, our minds most certainly directed to the disease of death such as heart disease, stroke, and so forth. Opinion is increasingly shaped by the many advertisements of food products which gives the lure of "free cholesterol".

Excessive exposure, suggesting that cholesterol is a great enemy to human health. Really dangerous cholesterol?

Judging from history, cholesterol does give a bad record for the medical world. In 1908, experts have found that guinea pigs that were fed meat, dairy fat, and eggs will experience excessive fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries (blood vessels).

This causes blood vessels become narrower, known as atherosclerosis. The process lasts very long and is the forerunner of stroke and heart attack. In 1913, several experts to formulate that the deposition of fat is cholesterol.

In 1916, Cornelius de Langen, a Dutch doctor who was working in Indonesia, found that the number of Indonesian indigenous people who suffer from heart disease is lower compared to Dutch people who lived in Indonesia.


He made the speculation that a low cholesterol content among the people of Indonesia caused a diet that contains more elements of plants, rather than Dutch people who prefer meat and other animal foods.
At the end of World War II, research experts in Scandinavia found that deaths from heart disease dropped dramatically during the war. This was due to lower consumption of meat, milk, and eggs.

Currently, the scientists found that people who suffer from heart disease, generally have higher cholesterol levels than healthy people.

One's diet affects cholesterol levels in the blood. Talk about your diet, amount and type of fat consumed did influence the size of our risk of heart disease.

Foods that contain saturated fats, either from animal meat and coconut oil, both of which will increase levels of cholesterol can cause fatty, especially in the heart. This is the forerunner of heart disease.

One way to reduce levels of bad cholesterol in the body is to reduce the intake of bad fats, like trans fat and saturated fat, red meat, cheese, and high-fat milk.

As a substitute for red meat, you can eat white meat or lean meat. Such as chicken without the skin. You also can choose in which meat has less fat content. To reduce the fat content in meat, meat should be processed by steaming or made clear soup.

The American Heart Association recommends eating fish rich in omega-3 at least twice a week to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in people with high cholesterol.

Types of foods derived from vegetable, such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts, contains almost no cholesterol. That is why, vegetarians who do not eat meat, including poultry meat, usually have cholesterol and triglyceride levels.