Hamburgers,
fries,
pizzas, and fried chicken are among the foods we
love to binge on.
Fast-food joints serving them make it easier for
us to give in to our
cravings. As we grow older, we realize that we can
no longer enjoy
these gastronomic delights the way we used to,
because we have to watch
out for the cholesterol
in our diet. Otherwise, we are put in the danger
zone for several
cardiovascular diseases it may lead us to.
What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol
is a
waxy, fatty substance present in the body. Cholesterol
is
an essential part of life. They are an integral
part of the cell
membranes, take part in the manufacturing of
hormones, break down
carbohydrates and proteins, and produce bile.
Cholesterol
is
transported by lipoproteins in the blood stream.
There are different
kinds of lipoproteins with distinct functions:
- High
density lipoproteins (HDL)
They are
also called the good cholesterol.
They are stable and move easily through the
blood. They carry cholesterol
away
from the arteries, back into the liver where
they can be removed from
the body. Diseases affecting the liver can
affect the HDL from
performing their beneficial roles.
- Low
density lipoproteins (LDL)
These are
the bad guys (aka bad cholesterol).
They are unstable and tend to stick to the
arterial walls and are
implicated in the process of plaque formation or
atherosclerosis,
which leads to
various serious complications.
- Very
low density lipoproteins (VLDL)
These carry
triglycerides and cholesterol,
thus are considered to be harmful.
- Intermediate-density
lipoproteins
Similar to
VLDLs, these also
carry triglycerides and cholesterol.
These are
very large particles
that are rich in triglycerides. Triglycerides
are the main constituents
of vegetable oil and animal fats.
Cholesterol and Heart Disease
High
cholesterol
level is considered to be a risk factor for the
development of
heart diseases. It
contributes to the
process of
atherosclerosis
or
plaque formation within the wall of the arteries.
This leads to serious
consequences when the blood supply to an organ is
restricted, due to
the blockage by the plaque.
In the
process of atherosclerosis,
cholesterol is brought to the site of injury to
the arterial lining
through LDL. It interacts with free radicals and
become oxidized. The
oxidized LDL releases toxins and stimulates the
inflammation process
further, which adds to the damage. It joins with
white blood cells to
form the lipid foam, which is later capped with
calcium deposits that
cause hardening.
The
elasticity of the artery is
lost, while the passage of blood is prevented by
the plaque. When atherosclerosis
progresses, the plaque may rupture, dislodging
its contents to smaller
arteries which can be completely occluded.
When an
artery supplying the heart
is affected, it can lead to heart
attack which may ultimately cause
death.
Who is Prone to
Having High Cholesterol Levels?
If you are
born to a family known
to have high
cholesterol levels, chances are, you are
prone to inheriting the
disease as well. But other factors play a role
too. Older age, the
presence of concomitant hypertension and diabetes,
a high saturated fat diet, obesity,
and lack of exercise could all increase your
cholesterol levels.
The Wonders of
Mangosteen
Mangosteen
is
an exotic fruit that grows in tropical
countries. The mangosteen
tree requires abundant moisture and warm
environment throughout the
year. It is predominantly found in Southeast
Asia, in countries like
Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, India,
Vietnam, and Malaysia. In
Asia, it is regarded as the “queen
of
fruits.”
For more
than a thousand years, it
has been used as an herbal remedy for various
ailments. Recent
researches are finding more good things about mangosteen
and
how it can solve the many health problems we are
facing.
Mangosteen
is a
round, purple colored fruit that has a fine
tasting white soft pulp
that somewhat melts in your mouth. The pericarp
or rind, is the richest
source of medicinal properties of the fruit.
The pericarp
is the puple hard
outer shell of mangosteen
measuring about half a centimetre thick. The
purplish juice coming from
it can stain your clothes, which is almost
impossible to remove. This
is the reason why mangosteen is banned from
hotels in countries where
this is available. Although the health benefits
can also be found in
the fruit pulp, it is lower in concentration
compared to the amount
that is highly concentrated in the pericarp.
Xanthones
are substances found in
mangosteen found to have powerful antioxidant
effects. There are around
40 xanthones found in mangosteen
known to help prevent damage to cells by free
radicals, slow the
process of aging, and protect the body against
degenerative diseases.
How Does
Mangosteen Help in Reversing High Cholesterol?
Supplementation
with mangosteen,
coupled with regular exercise and healthy diet,
are found to help lower
the levels of total cholesterol,
triglycerides and bad
cholesterol LDL (low-density
lipoprotein), while raising the good
cholesterol.
Scientific
research studies have
revealed that gamma mangostin , a xanthone found
in mangosteen, is a
powerful antioxidant that showed more potent
activities than vitamin E.
It prevents the oxidation of bad
cholesterol or LDL,
which is responsible for clogging the arteries,
leading to serious
cardiovascular consequences.
The
cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme
(COX-2) which is linked to the inflammatory
process, is known to be
inhibited by gamma mangostin. Low level
inflammation is often
associated with high
cholesterol levels.
Polyphenols,
also present in
mangosteen, were discovered to be five times
more potent than vitamin C
as to its antioxidant properties.
Choosing
Mangosteen Supplements
Between the
juice and capsule form
of mangosteen,
choose the latter because it will provide you with
the maximum benefits
you are after. While the juice form is
great-tasting, it only contains
a little percentage of mangosteen
(the
main ingredient) because it has to be mixed with
other fruit extracts
and preservatives. The capsule form comes in 100%
mangosteen.
The juice
form makes use of both
the pericarp and the pulp, while the capsule
form uses only the
pericarp, where the xanthones are richest.
Although the juice appears
to maximize the xanthones in both pericarp and
pulp, the processes it
has to go through, to manufacture the juice,
destroys the innate
healing properties in mangosteen.
Pasteurization
has to be done to
the juice form to slow down the growth of
harmful microorganisms. While
this protects you from infectious agents, it
also kills the
biologically active components in mangosteen
needed to address your health concerns.
As required
by law, the whole
fruit that has to be brought in to the United
States from other
countries where it was grown, has to go through
irradiation to kill
potentially debilitating pests. The capsule form
only uses the husk,
where all the good stuffs are concentrated, thus
doesn’t have to
undergo irradiation. The idea of taking in foods
that has been exposed
to radiation is something you may want to think
about.