Conquest of Cholesterol
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. Prov. 22:17, 18, NIV.
Are you confused with all the discussion about cholesterol? Is it bad or good? The answer is both. Let me explain.
The HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is good, and the LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is bad. What we eat and do, and to some extent even what we think, influence the relative amounts of each.
Just as in our automobiles we carefully guard the oil level, so in our bloodstreams we expectantly watch the cholesterol level. Our chief concern with the crankcase of our cars is that the oil level is full. But with cholesterol we urgently need to know how much is "full" and how much is "too full."
Our bodies require cholesterol. The liver continuously manufactures it, keeping our body's supply full. The problem comes when we ingest additional cholesterol in our food. This is akin to adding oil to our gasoline, a procedure that would foul the engine.
The ideal oil level in our car is simply full or nearly full. But what is the ideal cholesterol level in our blood? Our goal is lower than 200. Some say it should be much lower, perhaps in the 100-150 range.
The Japanese have little heart disease, and cholesterol levels that, by and large, range under 150. And the same is true of many developing cultures that follow low-fat vegetarian diets.
The famous Framingham heart study has scrutinized several thousand residents of that now-famous Massachusetts town closely during the past 35 years. It notes that individuals whose cholesterol levels were under 150 have had no heart attacks.
Would you like to know what could make heart disease as rare as leprosy is in our culture? Eat fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts and legumes, and push away all meat, fish, fowl, and animal products. This may sound unrealistic, but it's common sense nutrition!
"Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise." Doing so can mean the difference between death and life; heart failure and heart health.
What changes could you make in your diet to bring down your level of cholesterol to below 150? Why don't you make that your goal?
Are you confused with all the discussion about cholesterol? Is it bad or good? The answer is both. Let me explain.
The HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is good, and the LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is bad. What we eat and do, and to some extent even what we think, influence the relative amounts of each.
Just as in our automobiles we carefully guard the oil level, so in our bloodstreams we expectantly watch the cholesterol level. Our chief concern with the crankcase of our cars is that the oil level is full. But with cholesterol we urgently need to know how much is "full" and how much is "too full."
Our bodies require cholesterol. The liver continuously manufactures it, keeping our body's supply full. The problem comes when we ingest additional cholesterol in our food. This is akin to adding oil to our gasoline, a procedure that would foul the engine.
The ideal oil level in our car is simply full or nearly full. But what is the ideal cholesterol level in our blood? Our goal is lower than 200. Some say it should be much lower, perhaps in the 100-150 range.
The Japanese have little heart disease, and cholesterol levels that, by and large, range under 150. And the same is true of many developing cultures that follow low-fat vegetarian diets.
The famous Framingham heart study has scrutinized several thousand residents of that now-famous Massachusetts town closely during the past 35 years. It notes that individuals whose cholesterol levels were under 150 have had no heart attacks.
Would you like to know what could make heart disease as rare as leprosy is in our culture? Eat fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts and legumes, and push away all meat, fish, fowl, and animal products. This may sound unrealistic, but it's common sense nutrition!
"Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise." Doing so can mean the difference between death and life; heart failure and heart health.
What changes could you make in your diet to bring down your level of cholesterol to below 150? Why don't you make that your goal?
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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