Cholesterol: it is an organic compound that belongs to the family of steroid lipids which performs various biological and essential functions in our body. It is a component of cell membranes, of which it regulates fluidity and permeability but it is also the precursor of vitamin D and bile salts. Despite this leading biological role, when it circulates in our blood in higher than normal concentrations it becomes a bitter enemy for our health.
Il high cholesterol, is defined as such when it exceeds 240 mg/dl and we are talking about a pathology that increasingly affects both men and women equally. It is a fat molecule involved in many metabolic processes of our body, such as digestion but above all for the construction of the cell wall. In addition to all these well-known functions, cholesterol is the main constituent of atherosclerotic plaques, which block the arteries by depositing themselves on the walls of the same and forming low-density lipoproteins, better known as bad cholesterol, also called LDL.
This condition is often associated with a strong development of cardiovascular diseases and pathologies. Every year the numbers reporting the dead due to this bad pathology they are always higher and as regards the good cholesterol (also called HDL) it is instead made up of high-density lipoproteins which does not affect the walls of our arteries, but rather takes care of freeing them completely. Many people believe that these pathologies affect only one slice of the population, even more so that over fifty years of age, but this is not the case at all.
There are really many cases of boys but also children, who present the so-called “familial hypercholesterolaemia”: a vertical type of transmission which involves adapting to a correct and well-balanced diet, thus avoiding all those foods containing high percentages of fat. The foods that expert nutritionists advise you to avoid consuming since they contribute to making the situation worse are:
–Red meats, sausages and offal (such as sausage, salami, frankfurters);
– Aged cheeses and fatty dairy products (such as lard, gorgonzolascamorza);
–Fried foods (such as fish, breaded meat and battered vegetables);
– Sugary or fatty fruit (such as bananas, avocados);
– Bakery and industrial products (such as snacks, crackers, rusks);
–Sugary drinks (including packaged fruit juices but also packaged tea and lemonade, as well as various carbonated drinks).