Blood fat or Triglycerides; can you explain me this?

Triglycerides are a type of blood fat which is usually called blood fat. In this way it is also differentiated from the cholesterol mostly. Along with heredity, LDL-cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and obesity it is also a risk factor for the cardiovascular diseases. It is also considered an independent risk factor for stroke.

I know you are a rice eater and this excess rice eating is a risk factor which increases the triglycerides levels in the blood. Any excessive intake of carbohydrates can increase this. It can be chocolates, other sweets, cakes, bread, noodle or chips. Insulin sends the sugar to all our cells to produce energy. If too much of sugar is still in the blood they are sent to the liver where it is converted into triglycerides. Excess fructose, the fruit sugar is also converted in the liver to triglycerides. Even if the level of cholesterol is normal triglycerides increase the stroke risk to 30%.

High level triglycerides in the blood increases to types of fat particles, one is LDL-cholesterol and the other is chylomicrons. These may cause fatty deposits on the walls of the blood vessels.

Whenever you control your cholesterol, triglycerides must also be controlled. The American Heart Association recommends the following triglycerides levels:
• Normal range …………………less than 150 mg/dl
• Borderline-high……………150 to 199 mg/dl
• High………………………………....200 to 499 mg/dl
• Very high………………………….500 mg/dl and above

It is easy to reduce the level of triglycerides in the blood. Eat less carbohydrate and more fruits and vegetables. Fat intake must also be controlled. A good lifestyle and exercises are very important.

We hear always insulin and diabetes. Does insulin have other functions?

Insulin is a natural hormone of the body which controls the level of sugar in the blood. It is like a key to open the cells and send sugar there. Cells cannot utilize sugar without insulin.

Sugar is the body’s important and primary source of fuel. Excess sugar builds up in blood can lead to diabetes. Without insulin the cells cannot take sugar from the blood.

The other functions of insulin include:

• Stimulates growth
• DNA synthesis
• Cell replication
• Increases amino acid transport into cells
• Stimulates lipogenesis (conversion of sugar to fat, triglycerides)
• Decreases lipolysis (breakdown of triglycerides for energy production)
• Altering the cell content of numerous mRNAs (messengerRNAs carry coding information to the sites of protein synthesis)
• Modulates transcription (helps to transfer of genetic information from DNA to mRNA)

Insulin is thus important to our health.

We eat lot of rice and chicken. Is it healthy?

This is a question asked many of my friends. It is not that they don’t want to eat vegetables or fruits.

Rice and chicken are very good food. But the dose makes the poison. Rice contains lot of carbohydrates and chicken is also good with its protein and fat. Eating rice and chicken everyday have the following disadvantage. Rice increases the blood sugar and excess blood sugar is converted in the liver to Triglycerides which is a risk factor for heart diseases.

100 g edible chicken contains 19.9 g protein, 9.6 g fat, cholesterol 100 mg and purine 115 mg. Excess protein is converted into sugar and excess sugar in turn to triglycerides.

It is absolute necessary to eat fresh vegetables and fruits. If fresh vegetables are not available try to use frozen vegetables which is available in many countries. Go for packed fruit juices without any additives.

More pulses and beans can also be used to reduce the amount of chicken.

Fruits and vegetables are not only good for vitamins and minerals but also rich in antioxidants and other phytochemicals which are necessary for health.

If there are many Asians try to import directly from your countries. In Germany we get all fresh Indian vegetables. Once in a week they are coming from India.

It is your health and it is worth spending something for that. Unfortunately, many are ready to spend money for alcohol than for vegetables and fruits.

Is Fructose Healthy?

If I have to answer you in one sentence then I must say in excess it is not healthy. Fructose is present in honey, fruits and some of the root vegetables. I hear even from my FB friends that it contains only fructose and so surely it is better than sugar.

Is it correct? No, it is not at all correct. A simple comparison is that there are trillions of cells in our body which could metabolize sugar, but only liver can metabolize fructose. Liver has many other important functions than metabolizing fructose. In excess it is as bad as alcohol because fructose is metabolized immediately if it is present in the blood. This is an extra and excess work to the liver.

Most of the non-alcoholic soft drinks including cola drinks contain high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It is used because it is cheaper than sugar and here mostly the ratio of fructose:glucose is 55% to 45%. Now and then a glass is OK, but not too much.

What are the health problems we may get from fructose? There are many and they include:

• Excess is converted into blood fat, triglycerides which is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases
• Excess may cause insulin-resistance, elevated LDL-cholesterol and obesity
• It is also one of the causes for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• It can react with protein and so fructose found in soft drinks may cause gout

If you have diabetes you can use less of it.

I eat always rice, can rice increase cholesterol?

No, rice will not increase your cholesterol.

Boiled rice is healthy, but, the dose makes the poison and it is applicable to rice also.

But excess sugar from rice in the blood is converted into triglycerides in the liver which is also a risk factor for heart diseases.

It is not the genes which raise the fats but excess carbohydrates or sugars.

Reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your food and eat lot of vegetables and fruits to be always healthy.

Most of the South Indian vegetarians have elevated values of triglycerides. Are genes culprits?

Genes may play a role here, but the scientific explanation is simple; if you consume huge amount of carbohydrates, after digestion the sugars are used to produce energy in our cells and the excess sugars are sent to the liver where they are converted into triglycerides.

There are two more significant points are also there. They are:

• The intake of fruit sugar, fructose
• Excess intake of protein

Fructose is metabolized in the liver and the excess of it is converted to triglycerides. If you consume more protein than your body requires the excess is converted into sugar which in turn will be converted to triglycerides.

You must be careful in the intake of carbohydrates including fructose and also many soft drinks which can also contain sugar or fructose.

With half the amount of carbohydrates intake from your food and enough physical activity you could bring down the triglycerides without any medicine. This is good for your health.

Banana

Banana is one of the best fruits available and it is packed in a natural container. It is a fast fruit and free from local contamination. It is available in different varieties in the tropical area of this world.
The nutrients in 100 g edible banana include:

• Water – 73.9 g
• Protein – 1.2 g
• Fat – 0.2 g
• Carbohydrates – 20.0 g
• Organic acids 0.6 g – Malic acid 360 mg, Citric acid 200 mg
• Fibre – 1.8 g
• Minerals - 0.8 g – sodium 1 mg, potassium 370 mg, magnesium 30 mg, calcium 7 mg, iron 350 micro g, copper 110 micro g, zinc 195 micro g, selenium 1 micro g, iodide 2 micro g.
• Vitamins - vitamins A, B1, B6, nicotine amide, pantothenic acid, Biotin, folic acid, vitamin C – 12 mg, vitamins E, and K

Banana contains glucose, fructose and sucrose which contain 50% glucose and 50% fructose. Commonly we say fructose as fruit sugar. Excess sugar is converted in the liver as triglycerides, the blood fat. Fructose is metabolized in the liver and the excess is also converted into triglycerides.

If you have diabetes you can eat a small banana, but the amount of carbohydrates must be reduced from the other meals. It is advisable not to eat very ripe banana.

Minerals, particularly selenium varies with their concentration in the soil.