Re: Omega 3: Why is it that bendy is trendy?

On Jan 30, 9:43 pm, Durand <durand.sincl...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi,

Why is it that Omega 3 fats makes good cholesterol? From what I've
read about its chemistry, it shouldn't. Could you read the assumptions
I've made, and see where my logic is wrong?

3) GOOD CHOLESTEROL IS DENSE: Omega 3 acids make "good cholesterol".
One reason your body makes cholesterol in the first place is because
to patch up dents in your arteries, caused by blood flow wearing away
the insides. "Good cholesterol" is considered good because it is
tightly packed, and solid, and therefore fills the gap like putty. On
the other hand "bad cholesterol" is big and fluffy, not at all dense,
and doesn't patch the holes up properly. What's more, it tends to get
washed off the hole later on, and sits around in the blood stream
forming clots.

I think part of the problem here is the use of the terms good and bad
cholesterol. What they actually refer to is two types of lipoprotein
in the blood.

Low density lipoprotein (LDL) is called "bad cholesterol" because it
is richer in cholesterol than the other lipids it carries and is the
one that ends up lodged in artery walls (which is bad).

High density lipoprotein (HDL) is mostly protein with actually quite a
small amount of cholesterol. It is called "good cholesterol" because
it picks up cholesterol from around the body and delivers it to the
liver.

The terms good and bad cholesterol therefore don't refer to
cholesterol molecules made from different fatty acids, they refer to
different proteins that carry cholesterol around the body.

The density issue is a tricky one too, as although HDL is more dense
than LDL it's not significant that it is. What *is* signficant is that
some people have what's called an LDL-B phenotype where they make LDL
that's smaller and denser than normal and enters the artery wall
40-50% faster than normal LDL. Smaller LDL particles are also more
easily oxidised. When it comes to lipoproteins, bigger and fluffier is
actually better.

MattLB
.

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