What does it mean with High Density Lipoprotein?

HDL (high density lipoprotein) is the most complex lipoprotein class in terms of composition and function. HDL is comprises of a heterogeneous group of lipoprotein particles. HDL has a higher protein content and a smaller triglyceride and cholesterol content than LDL

HDL is a cholesterol-carrying protein. It often referred to as the “good” cholesterol. LDL cholesterol carries cholesterol from liver to invade the arteries, sparking atherosclerosis. HDL cholesterol does the exact opposite. It takes cholesterol out the arteries and delivers it back to liver to be packaged into bile and excreted from the body. 

Very low-fat eating plans can lead to a lowering of HDL levels. Therefore, individuals should follow a moderate-fat diet, with 20-35% of total calories coming from fat and a strong emphasis should be placed on the unsaturated fats. An HDL level above 60 mg/dL is very protective against heart disease and can really be considered a negative cardiac risk factor.
What does it mean with High Density Lipoprotein?

Cholesterol-lowering effects of oat β-glucan

Several soluble polysaccharides have been shown to have cholesterol-lowering properties and to have a role in prevention of heart disease. Oats provide one of the richest sources of the dietary soluble fiber β -glucan, providing 5.0 g (oatmeal) to 7.2g (oat bran) per 100 g serving. Both are also valuable sources of total dietary fiber, which ranges from 9.9-14.9 g per 100 g serving. Oats have recently gained considerable interest as a rich source of β -glucan with cholesterol-lowering properties.

 In March 1995, the Quaker Oats company submitted a petition to the FDA stating that consumption of whole oat products (oats, oat bran, and oat flour) decreases total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations and reduces the risk of CHD.

In February 2003 Creanutrition and its parent company Swedish Oat Fiber submitted a scientific dossier for oat β -glucan and blood cholesterol to the JHCI in the United Kingdom. In May 2004, the JHCI approved a generic health claim for oat β -glucan and blood cholesterol based on the totality of the evidence. The health claim states that the inclusion of at least 3 g/day of oat β-glucan as part of a diet low in saturated fat and a healthy lifestyle can help reduce blood cholesterol.

The benefits for lowering lipids with oats and oat-based products have been reported in animal and human studies. Oat gum soluble fibre has been reported to exert a greater hypocholesterolaemic effect than several other fibers tested and found to be similar to that of cholestyramine.

According to the study, soluble fiber from oat products, psyllium, pectin, and guar gum each significantly lowered total cholesterol. One gram of soluble fiber from oats, psyllium, pectin, or guar gum produced changes in total cholesterol of -0.037, -0.028, -0.070, and -0.026 mmol/L (-1.42, -1.10, -2.69, and -1.13mg/dL), respectively, and in LDL cholesterol of -0.032, -0.029, -0.055, and -0.033 mmol/L (-1.23, -1.11, -1.96, and -1.20 mg/dL), respectively. (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 69, Issue 1, 1 January 1999, Pages 30–42).

 A number of studies indicate that β -glucan is the major active cholesterol-reducing component of oats. When β -glucans are fed in a dose-dependent manner, significantly greater reductions in blood cholesterol are observed as β -glucan content increases. Furthermore, treatment of oats with enzymes that destroy β -glucan results in a loss of cholesterol-lowering potential of oats.
Cholesterol-lowering effects of oat β-glucan

Cholesterol and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in the walls of cells in all parts of the body, from the nervous system to the liver to the heart. The body uses cholesterol to make hormones, bile acids, vitamin D, and other substances.

Cholesterol is made in the liver and released into the bloodstream. Body can also get cholesterol from the food eaten. Cholesterol has many good uses, but is a problem when there is too much of it in the blood. A diet high in saturated fat content, heredity, and various metabolic conditions such as type II diabetes, can influence an individual’s level of cholesterol.

Cholesterol circulates in the bloodstream but cannot travel by itself. As with oil and water, cholesterol (which is fatty) and blood (which is watery) do not mix. So cholesterol travels in packages called lipoproteins, which have fat (lipid) inside and protein outside.

Two main kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol in the blood:
■Low density lipoprotein or LDL
■High density lipoprotein or HDL

LDL-C makes up the majority of the body’s cholesterol. When LDL-C levels are high in the bloodstream, cholesterol/plaque may build up in the wall of the artery, resulting in a progressive disease called atherosclerosis. This can increase the risk of blood clots in the arteries. If a blood clot breaks away and blocks an artery in heart or brain, the patient may have a stroke or heart attack.
Cholesterol and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

Pectin can help lowering serum cholesterol

Pectin is a polymer of galacturonic acid linked by α-1-4 bonds and methoxylated to a varying extent at the carboxyl moieties. Other sugars, acetyl groups and calcium ions are present as additional constituents.

In the human diet, pectin occurs as a “soluble fiber” in fruit and vegetables, jams and jellies, and more recently in low-calorie foods as a fat replacer. Pectin is a complex polysaccharide present in plant cell walls, extracted commercially from pulp waste during fruit juice pressing (for example, from citrus peel and apple pomace).

Pectins are believed to lower the levels of serum cholesterol by binding with bile acids and causing removal of cholesterol in the feces.

Sequestrants of bile acids and neutral sterols disturb cholesterol homeostasis in humans and in different experimental animals.

In 2010, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published its Scientific Opinion on substantiation of health claims related to pectin, including cholesterol lowering and effects on glycemia. For cholesterol lowering (maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations), a cause-and-effect relationship was established with 6 g pectin in > servings.
Pectin can help lowering serum cholesterol

Fats related to cholesterol

Cholesterol is insoluble in the blood; it must be attached to certain protein complexes called lipoprotein in order to be transported through the bloodstream.

Elevated levels of low density lipoprotein in the blood increase the risk of artery and heart disease, earning LDL cholesterol the nickname ‘bad cholesterol’.

High density lipoprotein (HDL) appear to protect against atherosclerosis, earning HDL cholesterol the nickname ‘good cholesterol’.

There are three types of fats related to cholesterol
Saturated fats – which is come from foods of animal origin such as meat, fish, poultry, milk, butter and cheese as well as from plant, coconut, and palm kernel.

LDL cholesterol raises the risk of heart disease. It has been shown to increase total blood cholesterol levels, especially the undesirable LDL portion. In general, the more saturated fat in the diet, the LDL cholesterol in the body.

Most notable among the saturated fatty acid that raise blood cholesterol are lauric, mytristic and palmitic acids.

Polyunsaturated fats – mainly found in vegetable oils like corn, sunflower, safflower and soybean. Polyunsaturated fats have the additional benefit of decreasing total and LDL cholesterol levels. 

Polyunsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and less harmful than saturated fats.

Monounsaturated fats – found mainly in certain vegetable and nut oils, including olive, peanut and canola - have been shown to reduce total blood cholesterol without lowering levels of the good cholesterol, HDL. It also decreases platelet aggregation and also less susceptible to oxidation.
Fats related to cholesterol