Vascular health is closely related to our eye health. Our eyes are connected to microscopic blood vessels, so they cannot be unrelated to vascular health. Patients with ‘diabetes’ and ‘hypertension’, which are adult diseases caused by problems with blood vessels, are more likely to suffer from eye disease complications.
As the incidence of adult diseases continues to rise due to modern people’s irregular eating habits and wrong lifestyle, the importance of managing ‘cholesterol’, which harms blood vessel health, is also increasing day by day. One of the most important factors in cholesterol management is diet. Many people think that cholesterol in food is harmful, but this is not the case.
There are two types of cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, which is bad cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol, which is good cholesterol. LDL cholesterol deposits on damaged blood vessel walls to form plaques and thickens blood vessels, whereas HDL cholesterol transports LDL cholesterol to the liver and breaks it down.
Saturated fatty acids contained in animal fat raise ‘LDL cholesterol’, also called bad cholesterol. ▲Meat oil, ▲processed butter, ▲mayonnaise, palm oil, and dessert ▲donuts, ▲ice cream, etc. contain a lot of saturated fatty acids. It belongs to foods high in saturated fatty acids.
On the other hand, unsaturated fatty acids contained in vegetable oil increase the level of ‘HDL cholesterol’, which is good cholesterol that breaks down bad cholesterol. Foods rich in unsaturated fatty acids include △sesame oil, △perilla oil, △olive oil, and △nuts.
Adequate cholesterol in the body is positive for health because it has the function of regulating the body’s immune system and hormones. The key is not to eliminate all cholesterol in the body, but to reduce the level of LDL cholesterol and maintain an appropriate balance between LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. Avoid foods that contain a lot of animal fat as much as possible, and try to stay close to foods high in unsaturated fatty acids.