A+P Help! Just not sure what is correct and not correct on the internet

Question

Discuss the following topic:

- What is the difference between HDL and LDL? How does your diet affect the levels of each? What kinds of things should we eat to be healthy? Is a low fat diet healthy?

-What are triglycerides and what would give you elevated levels? Is eating cholesterol really bad for you? Look at the current research and discuss.

Answer 1

1. In short, HDL is the "good cholesterol," and LDL is the "bad cholesterol." In other words, one contributes to your risk of atherosclerotic disease (cholesterol build up in the arteries) more than the other. They are both different types of lipoproteins but have different physiological properties and functions. The LDLs carry compounds that contribute to plaque buildup, but the HDLs that encourages uptake of excess cholesterol and sends it to the liver for processing. You want your diet to be healthy enough to create a good ratio between HDL and LDL. Foods with saturated fat and trans fats increase LDL levels. These types of unhealthy fats are commonly found in prepared/processed foods (cookies, cakes, fried foods, things from the snack/chip isle of the store...). On the other hand, to improve HDL levels, it is important to reduce overall inflammation / poor functioning in your body by maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, avoiding smoking, and managing chronic medical problems properly. In order to control your lipoprotein and cholesterol levels, it is recommended to follow diets that are high in proteins, healthy carbs, and healthy fats - such as those in chicken/fish, olive oil, and avocados instead of cheeses and red meat. For a great example, read about the "mediterranean diet." A low fat diet can be healthy - but it is important to keep in mind that it is better to consume a small amount of healthy fat choices than to totally eliminate all fats, because the body still needs the fats to create energy. Additionally, we try to balance the fats with healthy carbs and proteins, as seen in many diets that count and balance "macronutrients."
2. Triglycerides are the most common type of lipid/fat found in human blood and allow the body to store excess energy as body fat. Chemically, triglyceride molecules are made of one glycol unit and three fatty acid units. As mentioned before, triglycerides are classified as either saturated or unsaturated based on the chemical structure of the molecule (involving hydrogen atoms and double bonds, if you are familiar with that part). The saturated fats are the unhealthy fats we should limit in our diets - like in fried foods, dairy products, and fatty meats. These fats are very closely tied to cardiovascular disease - build up of cholesterol/fats in the arteries of the body and the small arteries that feed the heart can cause pain and destruction around the body and deadly damage to the heart (heart attacks!). Consuming the unsaturated fats instead are shown to decrease levels of LDL and are found in healthy oils, fish, and avocados, as we stated before. To help you start to think about your last question, both types fats are important to the body's functioning, but it is important to balance them. That is why guidelines exist for healthy levels of LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and total cholesterol; these levels are checked by doctors in order to monitor risk of developing cardiovascular disease and to decide if a patient needs to start a medicine to lower their cholesterol along with adjusting their diet. So essentially, some (healthy amounts and types of) cholesterol is good for you because it gives the body energy to function, but too much and the wrong types of cholesterol creates medical problems and should be taken into account in every person's dietary and lifestyle choices. Again, poor lipid balance metabolism contributes to heart disease!