A waxy substance, LDL cholesterol (which stands for Low density lipoprotein cholesterol) is one of the five major groups of lipoprotein. It is commonly referred to as bad cholesterol, because at excessive levels, it has harmful effects on the body. It accumulates to block or clog the blood vessels, leading to high blood pressure, stroke, coronary artery disease, or many other cardiovascular diseases.
Foods are by far the main contributors to blood cholesterol levels, including the following four foods, which you should avoid as much as possible.
Butter contains omega-6 fatty acids (not to be confused with omega-3 fatty acids), which have been proven to increase LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol blood levels. This high level of LDL cholesterol causes diseases which include cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome.
2. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
High Fructose Corn Syrup is sometimes added to foods to make them sweet. The problem with it is that fructose can only be metabolized by the liver, but if you take more than what the liver can handle at a time, the rest will be converted to other compounds including fats and LDL cholesterol for storage. The fats can be stored in cells but they sometimes leak into blood vessels where they can also increase LDL cholesterol blood levels.
Many things we eat today contain or have fructose added to them, from most types of bread, to honey, to drinks, right down to some vegetables.
3. Meats with fats
Fatty meats increase the blood’s LDL cholesterol levels because the fat, when ingested, are digested into simple sugars which enter the blood. In the blood they are joined and turned into either fat again for storage or into LDL cholesterol.
4. Fried foods
Fried foods contain hydrogenated and saturated fats that are especially potent in raising body fats, especially if they have been fried in vegetable oil. They follow the same mechanism as meats with fats. They are digested into sugars that are turned into cholesterol in the blood.
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