What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol belong to the body’s fats known as lipids. Lipids have a variety of functions in the body. For example they help with thermal insulation, help store energy, and help produce important hormones.
Often you hear of “bad” LDL and “good” HDL cholesterol. This is because high levels of LDL may contribute to atherosclerosis and ultimately cardiovascular disease, while HDL cholesterol has a protective function and helps to remove excessive levels of bad cholesterol.
Desirable level and goals for treatment:
Total cholesterol <5.0 mmol / l
LDL cholesterol <3.0 mmol / l
Indicators of increased risk for cardiovascular disease:
Triglycerides> 1.7 mmol / l
HDL cholesterol: <1.0 mmol /l for men and <1.3 mmol /l for women.
High Cholesterol Causes
Both heredity and environment play a role in the levels of cholesterol in the blood. Today we know of several hereditary forms of high cholesterol. If you have a cholesterol level above 8.0 mmol / l, it is often a familial hypercholesterolemia and thus hereditary.
Your diet plays a major role in cholesterol. Northern European countries have higher cholesterol levels than those living in southern Europe and Asia. One reason could be that people in Northern Europe eat less vegetables and fruits, and they choose to cook with saturated fats more than unsaturated fats like olive oil and canola oil.
Some of the risk factors for high cholesterol is a manifestation of atherosclerotic disease or type II diabetes.
High Cholesterol Symptoms
A crushing pain behind the breastbone and possibly radiating to the arms or the neck that is associated with physical exertion and cold temperatures. If the symptoms become more severe, there may be a blood clot in the coronary arteries causing a heart attack.
Another symptom may include pain the in calf muscles when walking known as claudication. There may also be dizziness or impaired vision which could a cerebral infarction, stroke or transient anemia in the brain.
What happens when there is too much cholesterol in your blood?
The blood vessels become more and more narrowed. The surface becomes more irregular, and the blood may have difficulty passing freely through the veins. A blood clot can form and become trapped in the a narrowed artery. When the blood supply to an area is stopped, the tissue can begin to die. That is, if the blood clot is in one of the coronary arteries then the part of the heart muscle that is no longer receiving blood can be killed, and a heart attack can occur.
High Cholesterol Treatment
Quit smoking, start exercising, changing your diet and ensure that blood pressure is under control.
Regular exercise helps reduce the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and a wide variety of other health problems.
Become aware of the things you need to know regarding nutrition. Eat more vegetables, fruits and berries. Add more fiber rich foods in your diet such as wholemeal bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. Soft or liquid fats such as olive or canola oil is recommended while cooking. Fish and lean meats are recommended. Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines have been proven to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Therefore, it is good to eat fatty fish at least twice a week. Eat less saturated fat, found in cheese, cream, candy, sugar, fatty meat, and processed meat products. Moderate amounts of alcohol (about 2 oz / day) appear to have a beneficial effect on triglyceride levels.
