What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is found in all cells of the body. Your body needs some cholesterol to function and makes all the cholesterol it needs in order to keep you healthy. It is also present in some of the foods we eat. It is used to make hormones, Vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods.

What is HDL and LDL Cholesterol?

Blood is a watery like substance and cholesterol is an oily one. As a result the two do not mix well together. So for it to travel in the bloodstream, cholesterol is carried in packages called lipoproteins. These packages are made of fat (lipo) on the inside and proteins on the outside. Two kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout your body, High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL).

• LDL Cholesterol (“Bad” Cholesterol)

High levels leads to a buildup of cholesterol in arteries, this is “bad” as it narrows/clogs them giving a greater chance of heart disease.

• HDL Cholesterol (“Good” Cholesterol)

This carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. The liver removes the cholesterol from your body. The higher your HDL cholesterol level, the lower your chance of getting heart disease.

Myths about Cholesterol

Below I have tried to clear up the misunderstandings that have occurred over this subject. Historically laymen, doctors and most scientists have been misled, as a result of systematically ignored or misquoted scientific data.

1. The only effective way to lower cholesterol is with drugs.

Truth: These drugs do not improve heart mortality or total mortality as their effect is only to lower cholesterol. In fact these drugs may be dangerous to your health and can shorten your life.

2. High blood cholesterol causes atherosclerosis

Truth: Many studies have shown that people with high blood cholesterol become just as atherosclerotic as people whose cholesterol is low.

3. Your body produces three to four times more cholesterol than you eat.

Truth: The production of cholesterol increases when you eat little cholesterol and decreases when you eat much. This explains why the “prudent” diet cannot lower cholesterol more than on average by a few per cent.

4. The Statins prevent heart disease by lowering Cholesterol.

Truth: These drugs do help prevent cardio-vascular disease, but this is due to other mechanisms than cholesterol-lowering. Unfortunately, they also stimulate cancer in rodents, disturb the functions of the muscles, the heart and the brain and pregnant women taking Statins may give birth to children with malformations more severe than those seen after thalidomide.

5. Cholesterol is a deadly poison.

Truth: Cholesterol is a substance vital to the cells of all mammals.
All cholesterol is not bad, but mental stress, physical activity and change of body weight may influence the level of blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is not dangerous by itself, but may reflect an unhealthy condition, or it may be totally innocent.

This article was written by John Jarmola, a freelance consultant Food Technologist who helps businesses develop more healthy food products and advises on “Healthy Eating”. For help on managing your Cholesterol and improving your diet and health, or to increase your knowledge visit: http://cholesterol-information-center.info/

If you haven’t a clue concerning betting room betting, read on…

For the sake of clarity, a betting saloon is a building that accomodates wagering. Clients will bet by operating coin operated machines or different betting games. Gaming hall games most likely have mathematically calculated probabilities constituting them which make sure the organization has the upper hand over the gambling fans.

A lot of gambling house games can get you dependent swiftly. By way of example, consider the stereotypical one armed bandit, a cash operated gadget with 3+ gears that spin when an arm attached to it is moved. This contraption most often rewards referring to a range of designs displayed on the screen of the machine. Lamentably, betting saloon pastimes present a delusion of being in full control, effectively conning the patron — the punter is tasked with choices, but in reality they cannot hope to realistically match up the gamer’s overall odds. That is caused by the the gaming room never paying out the full stake as hoped for. This scheme is continuously found in well-known casino games such as poker, dice, roulette or blackjack. Five-card stud is doubtlessly a very popular casino game. The gambling buffs, religiously guarding their hidden cards, make wagers into a principal pot which is finally bestowed onto the prevailing punter owning the highest hand. (As everybody knows, the shameless bluffer may well prevail as well…)

gambling software

Analogous to Texas hold’em poker, blackjack is likewise a very trendy casino game. A good part of its renown is caused by the mix of chance and smartness & decision making, as well as a procedure dubbed “counting”. The aforementioned is an approach by which gambling aficionados can dramatically shift the arm of chance of the game to their personal advantage by both wagering & strategy opetations based on the hands dealt.

“Craps” is yet another acclaimed casino wagering game utilizing the throw of a couple of dice. Gamblers place bets on the outcome of of 1 cycle, or on a series of spins of two dice. Contrary to blackjack, there’s absolutely no credible winner system people could exercise to improve the odds.

Roulette is another incredibly popular casino game; here a croupier will twirl a roulette wheel which incorporates a set of exactly 37 (European roulette) or exactly thirty-eight (American roulette) separately marked chambers in which a white pellet will settle, signifying the final winning number and its accompanying odds. Supposing that our gamester bets on any given number which is successful, which is to say it’s really successful, the promised dividend is 35 to one, the pledge proper being tossed back. Hence in totality the pledge itself is increased by a factor of thirty-six.

We strongly recommend you be very very vigilant though, for most if not all of such gaming hall games are highly dependency forming. An incredible number of lives are reported to have been damaged thru addictive gambling + even though it admittedly seems enjoyable, do strive to govern your play.

When is the last time you ate cranberries? Was it with a turkey dinner? With all the research pointing to the amazing health benefits of this simple berry, shouldn’t cranberries be more than a once a year side dish?

How Cranberries Are Proving Their Strength:

The Cranberry Institute provides the results of studies and research that highlight the fantastic health benefits of the humble cranberry.

Cranberries have been used for thousands of years by Native Americans as a source of food and to extend the shelf life of dried meats. Colonial sailors also made use of the natural preservatives in cranberries (from benzoic acid) which allowed them to last through long sea voyages, and the high Vitamin C content which prevented scurvy.

Perhaps they were on to something since new research suggests that cranberries may prevent the adhesion of the e.coli bacteria – a common cause of food poisoning from contaminated meat – to the urinary tract. This ‘anti-adhesion’ effect may also help in preventing bacteria from causing stomach ulcers and gum disease.

Vitamin C is also a known powerful antioxidant and is being widely accepted as a means of combating the effects of free radicals in the body which can cause cancer, heart disease and other health problems. Antioxidants from cranberries are being researched for prevention of kidney stones and lowering cholesterol.

While many fruits contain antioxidants, according to research cranberries have more antioxidants than 19 commonly eaten fruits. With this news it makes sense to include cranberries into a balanced diet throughout the year.

How Can You Include Cranberries Into Your Diet?

Fresh, frozen or dried, cranberries can be eaten anytime of the year.

Adding dried cranberries to baking (such as scones, breads and cookies) is an easy way to enjoy their tart sweetness. Adding frozen cranberries to smoothies or soups can lend a mild tang to your creations. Fresh cranberries make excellent garnishes and dressings.

The easiest way to add cranberries to your diet is to drink cranberry juice. While sweetened juices have less antioxidants than unsweetened, the benefits of adding cranberry to your diet are still there. If you add unsweetened juice to sparkling water you can enjoy a refreshing spritzer.

While studies are still being conducted on the health benefits of cranberries there is no doubt that increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables in your diet will lead to a healthier body. Choosing to use a variety of berries, citrus and other fruits will ensure you are giving your body everything it needs for optimum health.

Travis Waack is the webmaster of http://health.online-006.com/cancer_fighting_foods.html If you would like more information on the health benefits or cranberries, this is where you will want to start.