What is cholesterol?

 

What is cholesterol?

Blood cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made by your liver. Blood cholesterol is essential for good health. Your body needs it to perform important jobs, such as making hormones and digesting fatty foods. Your body makes all the blood cholesterol it needs, which is why experts recommend that people eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible while on a healthy eating plan.

 

Causes

Cholesterol is carried through your blood, attached to proteins. This combination of proteins and cholesterol is called a lipoprotein. There are different types of cholesterol, based on what the lipoprotein carries. They are:

·         Low-density lipoprotein (LDL).LDL, the "bad" cholesterol, transports cholesterol particles throughout your body. LDL cholesterol builds up in the walls of your arteries, making them hard and narrow.

·         High-density lipoprotein (HDL).HDL, the "good" cholesterol, picks up excess cholesterol and takes it back to your liver.

A lipid profile also typically measures triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. Having a high triglyceride level also can increase your risk of heart disease.

Factors you can control — such as inactivity, obesity and an unhealthy diet — contribute to harmful cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Factors beyond your control might play a role, too. For example, your genetic makeup might make it more difficult for your body to remove LDL cholesterol from your blood or break it down in the liver

Symptoms of cholesterol

Cholesterol travels around the body through particles called lipoproteins. Humans have three  types of lipoproteins. The high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL). LDL is commonly called bad cholesterol.

HDL is also referred to as good cholesterol. This lipoprotein helps to deliver LDL to the liver where it can be eliminated from the body. Having a high level of HDL is good for human health. An HDL cholesterol reading of 50mg/dL or higher is advisable. If the result is less than this, a person runs a higher risk of suffering heart disease.

Low HDL levels can also be caused by a poor diet with high-fat content. A sedentary lifestyle, and the often resulting obesity, can also contribute to this problem. Exercise can help to boost HDL levels and also increase the size of LDL particles that makes them harder to attach to arterial walls.

VLDL cholesterol?

VLDL stands for very-low-density lipoprotein. Your liver makes VLDL and releases it into your bloodstream. The VLDL particles mainly carry triglycerides,  another type of fat, to your tissues. VLDL is similar to LDL Cholesterol, but LDL mainly carries cholesterol to your tissues instead of triglycerides.

 

VLDL and LDL are sometimes called "bad" cholesterols because they can contribute to the buildup of plaque in your arteries. This buildup is called atherosclerosis . The plaque that builds up is a sticky substance made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood. Over time, the plaque hardens and narrows your arteries. This limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your body. It can lead to coronary artery disease and other  Heart diseases .

 

Obesity occurs when a person carries an excessive amount of body fat. It can badly affect health as it increases the risk of all kinds of illnesses including cardiovascular problems and multiple cancers. It can also affect outward physical appearance leading to social problems and self-confidence.

Obesity is commonly gauged using the Body Mass Index (BMI). Having a BMI of 30 or higher indicates that you are obese. Many suffer this condition as a result of a sedentary lifestyle and high-calorie diet rich in fats and sugar. High cholesterol levels are common amongst those that are obese. Healthier habits like an improved diet and exercise can help to reduce weight and lower cholesterol levels.

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It is what builds up in the arteries, causing them to become clogged. High LDL levels are often caused by the high consumption of food with too much fat. The best way to determine if you have a safe level of LDL in the blood is to undertake a blood lipid profile test. A healthy person should have an LDL cholesterol level of less than 100mg/dL. This test should be retaken every few years to monitor LDL levels.

 

 

Symptoms of high cholesterol

 

High cholesterol doesn’t cause any symptoms for most people. You could be a marathon runner and have high cholesterol. You won’t start to feel any symptoms until the high cholesterol causes other problems in your body.

Risk factors

Factors that can increase your risk of unhealthy cholesterol levels include:

·         Poor diet. Eating too much saturated fat or trans fats can result in unhealthy cholesterol levels. Saturated fats are found in fatty cuts of meat and full-fat dairy products. Trans fats are often found in packaged snacks or desserts.

·         Obesity. Having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater puts you at risk of high cholesterol.

·         Lack of exercise. Exercise helps boost your body's HDL, the "good," cholesterol.

·         Smoking. Cigarette smoking may lower your level of HDL, the "good," cholesterol.

·         Alcohol. Drinking too much alcohol can increase your total cholesterol level.

·         Age. Even young children can have unhealthy cholesterol, but it's much more common in people over 40. As you age, your liver becomes less able to remove LDL cholesterol.

 

 

Complications  

High cholesterol can cause a dangerous accumulation of cholesterol and other deposits on the walls of your arteries (atherosclerosis). These deposits (plaques) can reduce blood flow through your arteries, which can cause complications, such as:

·         Chest pain. If the arteries that supply your heart with blood (coronary arteries) are affected, you might have chest pain (angina) and other symptoms of coronary artery disease.

·         Heart attack. If plaques tear or rupture, a blood clot can form at the plaque-rupture site — blocking the flow of blood or breaking free and plugging an artery downstream. If blood flow to part of your heart stops, you'll have a heart attack.

·         Stroke. Similar to a heart attack, a stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks blood flow to part of your brain.

Treatment

When it comes to cholesterol, it's important to know your numbers. Hyperlipidemia means your blood has too many lipids (or fats), such as cholesterol and triglycerides. One type of hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, means you have too much non-HDL cholesterol and  LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood. This condition increases fatty deposits in arteries and the risk of blockages.

High cholesterol treatment

If you have high cholesterol, you may need to make some lifestyle changes. If you smoke, quit. Exercise regularly. If you’re overweight, losing just five to 10 pounds can improve your cholesterol levels and your risk for heart disease. Make sure to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish.

Depending on your risk factors, your doctor may prescribe medicine and lifestyle changes.

Living with high cholesterol

If you have high cholesterol, you are twice as likely to develop heart disease. That is why it is important to have your cholesterol levels checked, especially if you have a family history of heart disease. Reducing your LDL “bad cholesterol” through good diet, exercise, and medicine can make a positive impact on your overall health.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prevention

The same heart-healthy lifestyle changes that can lower your cholesterol can help prevent you from having high cholesterol in the first place. To help prevent high cholesterol, you can:

·         Eat a low-salt diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables and whole grains

·         Limit the amount of animal fats and use good fats in moderation

·         Lose extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight

·         Quit smoking

·         Exercise on most days of the week for at least 30 minutes

·         Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all

·         Manage stress

How to avoid saturated fats

To assist with lowering cholesterol levels, reducing foods high in saturated fats can help. Try to minimise intake of:

• fatty meats
• processed meats like salami and sausages
• snack foods like chips
• most takeaway foods, especially deep-fried foods
• cakes, biscuits and pastries.

Foods that may lower cholesterol levels

LDL cholesterol can be lowered by polyunsaturated oil (for example, sunflower or safflower oil).

Eating oats and legumes can lower LDL cholesterol by 5%.

Food components like saponins (found in chickpeas, alfalfa sprouts and other foods) and sulphur compounds (like allicin – found in garlic and onions) may also have a positive effect in lowering cholesterol levels.