Effects of Cholesterol on the Brain

Cholesterol is a protein which is transported to the rest of the body through the blood. The levels of cholesterol can vary from one person to another depending on the food diet that one maintains. While high levels of cholesterol may lead to damage to the brain and cause Alzheimer disease, low levels of it can cause several strokes to the brain.

The cholesterol levels increase or decrease depending on the diet that one follows. Fat from animals is a complex mixture. This mixture contains varying amount of cholesterol depending on the animal. Other food products that contain huge amounts of cholesterol are egg yolks, cheese, beef, pork and poultry. Human breast milk also contains large amounts of cholesterol. Since the milk is part of an infant's diet, it does not cause much damage. There are 2 different segments of fat. One is the trans-fat and the other is the saturated fat. While the saturated fat is naturally available in all animal fats, the trans-fat is produced in an unnatural manner. They are derived by partially hydrogenating the unsaturated fats. It is this type of fat that causes problems to the human body.

The cholesterol content is transported to the other body parts not only by the blood but by some lipoproteins as well. These lipoproteins target a particular tissue and a cell rather than circulating the cholesterol to the entire body like the blood. The two most common and vital lipoproteins in the human body is the High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL). In common language the HDL is the good cholesterol and the LDL is the bad cholesterol. One must work on reducing LDL content and increasing the HDL content. This HDL is very useful when it comes to prevent Ischemic stroke. The HDL is the only lipid which is related to the stroke. The stroke is actually caused by the blockage of carotoid arteries which are responsible for carrying blood to the brain. The HDL also helps in preventing the hemorrhagic stroke which is caused due to the bleeding in the brain. The bleeding in the brain occurs when the overall cholesterol levels go low.

While the low cholesterol levels cause many strokes, high cholesterol levels cause the Alzheimer disease. It is also responsible for hypertension. The major lipoprotein involved in this disease is the Apolipoprotein E (ApoE). This is one of the major lipoproteins as it is responsible for carrying the cholesterol to the injured nerve cells. It helps in healing the injury and in the development of the cells after the injury.Hence the cholesterol levels should always be kept under control. It should neither peak up nor go down the drain. To have a complete control over the cholesterol levels one should always control the diet that he intakes. A proper diet with best levels of cholesterol must be taken. This will prevent the accumulation of the trans-fat which is the sole reason for the various diseases in the human body.