Nathaniel Fuller
Professor Don Vernon
Final Research Paper
7:00-9:50
Throughout our life, nutrition plays a vital role in the type of life we live. It can affect
our health in a myriad of different ways. We can become extremely ill, or incredibly
healthy, all from eating correctly. Choosing to ignore dietary guidelines could
endanger your health. Nutrition and regular exercise can solve many health
concerns, but it cannot protect you from every health problem that you may
encounter. There are numerous other factors that could increase your likelihood of
disease and other health complications. Family history, for example, can counteract
and negate many health benefits of eating correctly and regular exercise. A risk of
high cholesterol is a prime example of this. Cholesterol plays a vital role in our
bodies, but if there is too much cholesterol, it could put you on the path of many
the liver, intestine and the skin. It is found in the blood and is a form of fats named
lipids. It travels through the blood stream with the help of proteins, because it is a
fat and cannot travel through the blood without help. Because of this combination of
cholesterol and proteins it is called lipoprotein (Krimmel pg. 9). There are three
types of lipoproteins that are focused on and classified by weight and density; Very
low density lipoprotein (VLDL), Low density lipoprotein (LDL), and High Density
lipoprotein (HDL) (verywell.com and Krimmel pg. 9). VLDLs contain very little
cholesterol, but are comprised mostly of triglycerides, which are produced mainly
when there are too many calories consumed. It may be stored as fat and are slowly
turned into LDLs. LDLs carry about 75-80% of cholesterol in the blood (Krimmel
pg. 9). It is mainly used for body function. HDLs comprise the remainder of the
cholesterol in the blood. They are the transports of cholesterol from the blood into
crucial for brain and nerve growth, helps with hormone production and a wide range
carry out our day to day lives without problem. Cholesterol however becomes a
problem when there is too much LDLs within the blood. There are many risks
associated with raised levels of LDLs and VLDLs. Atherosclerosis, or the narrowing
calcium and other cellular waste can build on the inner wall of arteries causing
complete blockages, called clots. This process is slow and continuous, and mostly
arises in mid adulthood. It can lead to Coronary Heart Disease, heart attack,
Myocardial infarction, stroke and many other circulatory problems. Nutrition can
Fast food, refined sugars, chips, fried foods, and other high fatty and high
sugar foods can raise the levels of LDL in ones body. The amount of saturated fat
that you eat plays a vital role in keeping cholesterol levels low. Many people who are
stagnant and eat high sodium, calcium, protein with low carbohydrates and
saturated fat diets need to take heed in the health of their circulatory system.
Individuals who are obese, smoke, abuse alcohol and have a family history of high
cholesterol are in danger of plaque buildup and heart disease (KMS Publishing). No
matter the fitness level or the balanced diet that you eat, if you have a family
history of high cholesterol, your arteries may still be susceptible to plaque buildup
(verywell.com). Many people believe that men are the ones that should be most
afraid of atherosclerosis and plaque buildup. But women must pay close attention
next seven causes of death, including all forms of cancer (Khaleghi pg.194).
Womens risk of heart disease caused by high cholesterol spikes during pregnancy
and continuously rises after menopause. Race also plays a component in the
amount of cholesterol in the body. Usually, those of African American decent have
women have the greatest risk of dying from heart disease of any racial, ethnic, or
gender population (verywell.com). Even though these populations and others are
affected by high cholesterol, nutrition and exercise play a vital role in the amount of
how limit the buildup of plaque in an individuals body. Cutting out high caloric, high
saturated fat and high refined sugar food from your diet will help diminish the
likelihood of clots in the arteries. Exercise is also essential for the prevention of
changes in your body to lower bad LDL cholesterol and boost good HDL levels
(Rubin and Brasco pg.55). A lipid panel test should be conducted regularly; this will
allow you to see the LDL and HDL levels within your blood and indicate a change
that needs to occur. With proper exercise and diet, removing saturated fats will
allow you to increase the HDL levels within your blood. For every point gained in
your HDL count, the risk of heart disease declines by 3 percent for women and 2
diet and a regular exercise routine, we will be able to live a life, with a decreased
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