Cholesterol, nutrition and herbs

Cholesterol, nutrition and herbs

Since the 1970s, now 40 years ago, we have been captivated by the fear of cholesterol-containing foods. In those years it became known that in addition to high blood pressure, dia betes, alcohol and smoking, high blood cholesterol levels were among the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. A certain part of #cholesterol , the so called LDL cholesterol, adheres to damaged blood vessels and contributes to their clogging faster. This can again lead to a heart or cerebral infarction.

In the United States, this has led to a true cholesterol hysteria. Almost all food packaging contains 'cholesterol free' in large letters, and instead of milk, the Americans use so-called coffee cream in coffee, an artificial mixture of vegetable protein and fat, which is guaranteed to be milk-free and cholesterol-free. Here, too, the end of cholesterol madness has not yet come to an end. They have managed to manipulate chickens in such a way that they now lay low-cholesterol eggs. The fuss around the detriment of the substance has been completely for nothing.

Scientists increasingly come to the conclusion that the cholesterol level in nutrition has hardly any effect on the level of cholesterol in the blood. First, the amount of cholesterol that can be absorbed into the blood from the diet is limited. Secondly, the body can produce cholesterol in the liver itself and thus regulate the content of this substance in the blood. If a person receives a lot of cholesterol with his diet, it inhibits the body's own production of cholesterol and the blood level remains more or less constant.

Although the cholesterol content of individual foods does not play a role, the composition of the diet as a whole can influence the concentration of cholesterol in the blood.

Various studies of vegetarians and people who eat full-fledged food show that people who live without meat, meat meats and eggs have much more favorable blood fat values and less often get myocardial infarction than the average compatriot. In addition to a completely healthy lifestyle, the rich use of plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, cereals and legumes is indicated as a reason for the good health of vegetarians. These foods can regulate blood fat levels naturally. They contain little fat, many ballast substances (fibres, bran) and numerous secondary plant substances (including phytosterols, saponins), which have a positive effect on cholesterol levels.