Medical

High Cholesterol

High cholesterol is a threat to a healthy heart and may lead to a heart attack or stroke. Both of us have recently been warned by our doctors to modify our lifestyle in order to reduce our cholesterol levels.

What Is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is found in all cells of the body. Your body needs cholesterol to work properly and makes all the cholesterol you need. Cholesterol is also found in some of the foods you eat. Cholesterol to used to make hormones, Vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods.

Blood is watery and cholesterol is fatty. Just like oil and water, the two don't mix. So, in order to travel in the bloodstream, cholesterol is carried in small packages called lipoproteins. The small packages are made of fat (lipid) on the inside and proteins on the outside. Two kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout your body. It is important to have healthy levels of both:

• LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol is also called "bad" cholesterol. High LDL cholesterol leads to a buildup of cholesterol in arteries. The higher the LDL level in your blood, the greater chance you have for getting heart disease.

• HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol is also called "good" cholesterol. HDL carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. The liver removes the cholesterol from your body. The higher your HDL cholesterol level, the lower your chance of getting heart disease.

Although related, triglycerides and cholesterol are different types of fats. They are natural substances always found together in the bloodstream. Chances are if you have high triglycerides, you probably have high cholesterol. Like cholesterol, triglycerides are necessary for life itself; they are chains of high-energy fatty acids providing much of the fuel needed for body cells to function. Triglycerides circulate constantly in the blood, ferrying fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K to locations where they're needed, aiding in the synthesis of certain hormones and protecting cell membranes.

What Is The Problem?

Too much cholesterol in your blood can build up in the walls of your arteries. This buildup is called plaque. Over time, plaque can cause narrowing of the arteries. This is called atherosclerosis or "hardening of the arteries."

Coronary arteries bring blood to the heart. Narrowing of your coronary arteries due to plaque can stop or slow down the flow of blood to your heart. When the arteries narrow, the amount of oxygen-carrying blood is decreased. This is called coronary artery disease (CAD). Large plaque areas can lead to chest pain called angina. Angina happens when the heart does not receive enough oxygen-rich blood.

Some plaques have a thin covering and burst, releasing fat and cholesterol into the bloodstream. The release of fat and cholesterol may cause your blood to clot. A clot can block the flow of blood. This blockage can cause angina or a heart attack or a stroke.

What Causes High Blood Cholesterol?

A number of things affect the cholesterol levels in your blood. Some of these you can control and others you cannot.

You can control:

• What you eat. Certain foods have types of fat that raise your cholesterol level.

• Saturated fat raises your LDL cholesterol level more than anything else in your diet.
• Trans fatty acids (trans fats) are made when vegetable oil is "hydrogenated" to harden it. Trans fatty acids also raise cholesterol levels.
• Cholesterol is found in foods that come from animal sources, for example, egg yolks, meat, and cheese.

• Your weight. Being overweight will increase your LDL level, lower your HDL level, and increase your total cholesterol level.

• Your activity. Lack of regular exercise can lead to weight gain and raise your LDL cholesterol level. Regular exercise can help you lose weight and lower your LDL level. It can also help you raise your HDL level.

You cannot control:

• Heredity. High blood cholesterol can run in families.

• Age and sex. Starting at puberty, men have lower levels of HDL than women. As women and men get older, their LDL cholesterol levels rise. Younger women have lower LDL cholesterol levels than men, but after age 55 they have higher levels than men.
   

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has a lot of good information.

See also HealthSquare information.

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