You will lower cholesterol

Cholesterol that travels through the body is essential for the cell membrane, the production of vitamin D, the manufacture of sex hormones and a number of other processes crucial to the body. The boring thing is when he is in excess. “Then, it can be deposited in the arteries and start the formation of plaques”, says the doctor André Faludi, director of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology.

If it gets clogged, you've seen it… The tendency to harden cholesterol targets has arrived here: one of the most debated topics at congresses in the area is precisely the extent to which LDL, bad cholesterol, should go down. The guideline today is to keep it below 100 mg / dl of blood, or 70 mg / dl for subjects at high cardiovascular risk.

However, many experts already argue that the next guidelines suggest levels below 50 mg / dl for everyone! This became possible with the arrival of new drugs for cases that are difficult to treat. "According to recent evidence, the lower the LDL, the lower the rate of cardiovascular events", says cardiologist Marcio Miname, from the Clinical Lipid Unit of InCor.

Goals - LDL cholesterol (in mg / DL)

Great: less than 100 (70 for high risk)

Desirable between 100 and 129

Borderline between 130 and 159

High between 160 and 189

Very high greater than or equal to 190

Goals - Total cholesterol (in mg / DL)

Desirable less than 200

Borderline between 200 and 239

High greater than or equal to 240

What to do?

Maintaining a balanced diet and exercising regularly are prerequisites for controlling total cholesterol and its fractions. If many family members have high levels, it is worth checking that there is no genetic background. Statins are the main class of drugs to lower LDL.

Cholesterol in the dish doesn't stop in the vessels?

The story is recent and still creates confusion. But, as far as science knows so far, cholesterol levels in food do not necessarily convert to cholesterol in the bloodstream. The amount of LDL circulating is mostly determined by the manufacture of the molecule in the liver itself. Whoever encourages the organ to release the substance in excess would be saturated fat, present in the skinned chicken leg, yellow cheese, bacon, butter and pork ribs. The recommendation is not to exceed 20 grams of this type per day.