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Health Good or bad cholesterol?
For decades, there has been a passionate discussion about possible health impairments caused by cholesterol. Today, however, after repeated recommendations for a clear limitation of the daily intake, a complete elimination of the limit values seems possible. How harmful cholesterol actually works is in any case dependent on the particular types of cholesterol taken up and various individual factors.
In the US, as part of the current review of dietary recommendations, a deletion of cholesterol limits is under discussion, as recent studies have found no link between high-cholesterol consumption and higher cholesterol levels in the body, the news agency dpa reports. Although the recommended limits in Germany would initially remain, but show that low-cholesterol diet alone was not effective.
The egg is for many people because of the high cholesterol content so far taboo, but there may be no reason for this. (Image: photocrew / fotolia.com) The body needs cholesterol
The food manufacturers promise with products such as low-cholesterol margarine or cholesterol-free cornflakes a significantly reduced intake of supposedly harmful cholesterol and hope so particularly to address health-conscious consumers. But cholesterol is not fundamentally bad. In fact, the organism needs the cholesterol, for example to stabilize the cell surfaces and as a precursor of other substances such as the female and male sex hormones or cortisone, so the "dpa", citing Hans-Ulrich Klör, board member of the German Society for the Control of Lipid Metabolism and their sequelae DGFF (Lipid-Liga).
Cholesterol intake is difficult to control
The advisory committee for the development of official dietary guidelines in the US had already earlier this year for the abolition of cholesterol limits pronounced. So far, in the US as well as in Germany, 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day were the upper limit in the dietary recommendations. With two eggs, this amount is already clearly exceeded. In principle, compliance with the limit also requires that consumers know the amount of cholesterol in the food they contain. But who is already aware that with an egg up to 240 milligrams of cholesterol or with 20 grams of butter already 50 milligrams of cholesterol are absorbed. Also, very few consumers are likely to know how much cholesterol is in a slice of cooked ham (20 milligrams) or a glass of milk (25 milligrams). Control of your own cholesterol consumption therefore causes considerable difficulties for most people. Here, the current discussion in the US makes it clear that this control may no longer be necessary anyway.
Very high cholesterol is a risk factor
Cholesterol is an elemental component of the body, whose name derives from the Greek word for bile, as the substance was first discovered in gallstones. The body produces cholesterol itself with great energy expenditure, whereby about 50 to 60 percent are formed by the liver, reports the "dpa", citing Stephan Bernhardt from the family doctor association. The smaller part is fed through the diet. Nevertheless, too much cholesterol is not good, says Hans-Ulrich Klör. Antje Gahl from the German Nutrition Society (DGE) agrees with this view. As with so many things, the dose is crucial. Because excess cholesterol is not excreted by the body immediately, because the effort for its production was too large. In order to avoid an energy loss through the elimination of cholesterol, this will keep in the bloodstream. This could be excess cholesterol deposited on the vessel walls and in the worst case clog the vessels. For this reason, very high cholesterol levels are also considered a risk factor for arteriosclerosis.
Good and bad cholesterol
However, it is to distinguish between the good and bad cholesterol. Harmful is the so-called LDL cholesterol, which leads to increased deposits on the vessel walls, whereas the HDL cholesterol is associated with positive effects on health. For example, the information on cholesterol levels usually refers to the LDL cholesterol level, which accounts for approximately 40 milligrams per deciliter (mg / dl) of blood in infants and increases to 130 to 150 mg / dl during life, citing " dpa "Hans-Ulrich Klör. To what extent the cholesterol level can be controlled via a low-cholesterol diet remains controversial. The US nutrition experts have in their own account in recent studies no relationship between the consumption of cholesterol-rich foods and an increase in the level of cholesterol in the body can be determined.
No longer do without the breakfast egg?
The omission of the daily Frühstücksei is no longer required when discontinuing the cholesterol limits, which would be particularly gratifying for men according to the announcement of "World Online". A Finnish study has recently shown that the consumption of around four eggs per week in men is accompanied by a significant reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes. The study examined the eating habits of 2,332 men between the ages of 42 and 60 years. The positive effect of the consumption of eggs has also been confirmed taking into account other risk factors such as lack of exercise, obesity, smoking and unhealthy diet. Presumably, the healthy ingredients of eggs would positively affect blood sugar and metabolism. Aligning the diet with cholesterol is therefore a mistake. In general, healthy eating can not be tied to a single substance.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs for high-risk patients
Instead of focusing on as little cholesterol as possible, an overall conscious and healthy diet should be in the foreground, explains Hans-Ulrich Klör. The low-cholesterol diet could kill two birds with one stone. Because the reduction of cholesterol intake will automatically reduce the intake of saturated fatty acids, which in turn stimulate the production of cholesterol. To what extent the change in diet can achieve a reduction in cholesterol levels, according to the nutrition expert Antje Gahl, however, remains generally dependent on whether patients respond to it and this is individually different. In addition, dietary changes can not be effective in the short term, which is why it is appropriate for certain high-risk patients, a drug lowering cholesterol level, said Stephan Bernhardt from the family doctor association. As examples, the physician mentions patients with other risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension or a recent stroke.
Nutrition changes sometimes insufficient
According to Stephan Bernhardt, patients with a combination of high cholesterol and other risk factors can not wait for the positive results of a change in diet, but the use of cholesterol-lowering medicines - parallel to the changed eating habits - is required here. "The more vulnerable you are, the less you can build on the long-term effect," confirms Hans-Ulrich Klör of the Lipid League in the contribution of the "dpa". Medicines can either slow down the production of cholesterol or increase its excretion. However, this is only required in extremely vulnerable individuals with significantly elevated cholesterol levels. Although healthy people should keep an eye on their cholesterol consumption in the opinion of the DGE, further measures are not necessary here, even with temporary increases in blood values. In addition, according to the US nutrition experts, it remains unclear whether limiting cholesterol intake makes sense at all. (Fp)