Blood serum cholesterol

We hear a lot these days about the relationships between saturated fats, cholesterol, and heart disease. What are the facts It s well established that a diet rich in saturated animal fats often leads to an increase in blood serum cholesterol, particularly in sedentary, overweight people. Conversely, a diet-lower in saturated fats and higher in polyunsaturated fats leads to a lower serum cholesterol level. Studies have shown that a serum cholesterol level greater than 240 mg/dL (a desirable value is <200 mg/dL) is correlated with an increased incidence of coronary artery disease, in which cholesterol deposits build up on the inner walls of coronary arteries, blocking the flow of blood to the heart muscles. 

POTTER s M, FERTILE J and BERBER-JIMENEZ M D (1996) Soy protein concentrate and isolated soy protein similarly lower blood serum cholesterol hut differently affect thyroid hormones in hamsters. J Nutr. 126 (8) 2007-11. 

In the studies discussed, wheat bran, cellulose, and psyllium fiber feeding resulted in increased fecal fat losses and in lowered blood serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels (14,15,32,41) as well as increased fecal losses of calcium. Possible involvement of dietary fat with high or low dietary fiber intake has not been extensively investigated. However, that calcium is involved in intestinal fat absorption is generally accepted (42-45). 

Cholesterol is commonly associated with cardiovascular disease and its routine measurement is used to measure its potential health risk. High blood serum cholesterol levels are often correlated with excessive plaque deposits in the arteries, a condition known as atherosclerosis... 

Standard lipid screening to obtain a cholesterol profile for the risk of cardiovascular disease routinely reports total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Cholesterol values are reported in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). Different organizations have made recommendations for normal cholesterol levels, but these must be interpreted carefully, as they are contingent on other risk conditions. For example, the recommendations for smokers or those with a family history of heart disease will be lower for someone without these conditions. The National Center for Cholesterol Education (NCEP) endorsed by the American Heart Association believes that LDL is the primary cholesterol component to determine therapy. LDL cholesterol accounts for 60—70% of blood serum cholesterol. An LDL less than 160 mg/dL is recommended for individuals with no more than one risk factor and less than 100 mg/dL for individuals with coronary heart disease. NCEP classifies HDL, which comprises between 20% and 30% of blood cholesterol, below 40 mg/dL as low. Triglycerides are an indirect measure of VLDL cholesterol. The NCEP considers a normal triglyceride level as less than 150 mg/dL. 

Fat comes in three forms—saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Eating saturated fats tends to increase the level of blood serum cholesterol, and the higher the cholesterol level, the greater the risk of heart attack. On the other hand, studies have shown that substituting mono- and polyunsaturated fats can reduce your cholesterol level. 

The purpose of the second study was to determine the effect of changes in kind and amount of dietary fat, with or without manganese supplementation, on blood serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and on manganese status of human adults. The project was comprised of a 5-day pre-period and four, 14-day experimental periods. 

Utility Ileal Bile Acid Transporter for Lowering Blood Serum Cholesterol... 

Coinciding with this development was the publication of Calories Don t Count (43), which became an instant best-seller in 1961. The book advocated a diet that featured daily capsulized doses of safflower oil. Medical research was beginning to demonstrate the close relationship between diet and heart disease. Eminent researchers began to show the relationship of cholesterol to heart disease and, more important, to show that polyunsaturates such as safflower oil would lower blood serum cholesterol for many people (44-46). 

Since in biological material, such as blood serum, cholesterol is partially esterified with fatty acids, a hydrolytic reaction is required for the assay of total cholesterol. This can be carried out chemically, mostly under alkaline conditions (Richmond, 1973 Kumar and Christian, 1977), or enzymatically (Noma and Nakayama, 1976 Clark, 1977 Coulet and Blum, 1983). 

Other examples of amperometric enzyme electrodes based on the measurement of oxygen or hydrogen peroxide include electrodes for the measurement of galactose in blood (galactose oxidase,enzyme), oxalate in urine (oxalate oxidase), and cholesterol in blood serum (cholesterol oxidase). Ethanol is determined by reacting with a cofactor, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD" ) in the presence of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase to produce the reduced form of NAD", NADH, which is electrochemically oxidized. Lactate in blood is similarly determined (lactate dehydrogenase enzyme). 

Ss obiously decreases blood-lipid. Kitagawa et al gave 80 patients with hypertension and hyperlipemia 100 mg ss per day for 4, 8, 12 weeks to find that their blood serum lipid was improved greatly. It also decreased Dm rats,total cholesterol content.(7) Gao Guiqing et al added ss into high-lipid for age to feed rabbits in order to prevent their blood serum cholesterol and triglyceride from increasing.(8)... 

Fiber derived from psyllium seed has a long history of use as a pharmaceutical to produce laxatlon. It s high bulking properties are due to its high content of hemlcellulose. When incorporated into food products and fed to humans, it produces the desirable effects of increased stool bulk, decreased fecal transit time, and decreased blood serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. However, concurrently psyllium fiber supplementation results in some depression in aljsorption of selected minerals, fat and protein. This was also true of some but not all of the other fiber sources tested. 

Cholesterol has the following structure. Why is cholesterol insoluble in water Why is it recommended that people monitor their blood serum cholesterol levels How many carbon atoms does a cholesterol molecule contain ... 

Cholesterol is present in all animal cells but is mainly concentrated in the brain and spinal cord. It is also the chief constituent of gallstones. The total amount of cholesterol present in an average human is about half a pound There appears to be some connection between the concentration of blood serum cholesterol and coronary heart disease. Levels below 200 mg/dL seem desirable, whereas levels above 280 mg/dL may constitute a high risk. 

The main target organs identified liver, gastrointestinal tract, blood, serum cholesterol, immune system, endocrine system, CNS, etc. (ITT Research Institute, 1992 Robinson et al, 1990 Biles et al., 1987 Chun and Kintigh, 1993 Greenough et al., 1980)... 

An adequate daily dietary dose of chromium is considered to be 50-200 p,g. The actual dose of chromium found in several studies is in the range of 25 to 100 xg. In chromium deficiency, the following symptoms have been identified impaired glucose tolerance, persistently elevated blood glucose level, elevated blood serum cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels and the presence of carbohydrates in urine. There is thus a link between chromium deficiency and the development of diabetes and cardiovascular... 

Evidence relative to the effectiveness of a soy protein diet in reducing serum cholesterol concentrations was dramatically corroborated by an Italian research team, whose work was reported in The Lancet, a respected British journal of medicine. A group of patients found to have high blood serum cholesterol levels was put consecutively on two kinds of diets (1) a low-fat animal protein diet, and (2) a predominantly soy protein diet. The study showed that the soy protein reduced serum cholesterol concentrations in the patients by about 20%. ... 

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