According to Wikipedia, Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell membranes.
How is it essential though when we have always heard that high cholesterol is alarming in some sense?
Well, read this article to get your questions answered!!
What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in all of your body's cells. Cholesterol is not a bad guy and is required by your body for the production of hormones, vitamin D, and digestion chemicals. Your body has the capability to produce the cholesterol that it needs.
Cholesterol can also be found in animal-based meals including egg yolks, meat, and cheese.
Cholesterol is linked to proteins and transported through the bloodstream. A lipoprotein is a mixture of proteins and cholesterol.
TYPES OF CHOLESTEROL:
There are different types of cholesterol, based on what the lipoprotein carries.
- Low-density lipoprotein (LDL): You might have heard about LDL as the "bad" cholesterol. It 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): You might have heard HDL as the "good" cholesterol. It picks up excess cholesterol and takes it back to your liver. Finally, your liver then removes the cholesterol from your body.
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| Credits: CDC |
What factors contribute to high cholesterol levels?
A poor lifestyle is the most common cause of elevated cholesterol. This can include things like:
- Unhealthy eating habits, such as consuming excessive amounts of unhealthy fats.
- For example, saturated fat can be found in meats, dairy products, chocolate, baked goods, as well as deep-fried and processed foods.
- Another type of fat is trans fat, which can be found in fried and processed meals such as packaged foods and sweets. These fats can cause your LDL (bad) cholesterol to rise.
- There is a lack of physical activity, as there is a lot of sitting and very little exercise. Your HDL (good) cholesterol is reduced as a result of this.
- Smoking reduces HDL cholesterol, particularly in women. It also boosts LDL cholesterol levels.
- High cholesterol may also be caused by genetics.
- Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), for instance, is an inherited form of elevated cholesterol. Other medical disorders, as well as several medications
Risk Factors
- Poor dietary habits: As mentioned earlier, too much saturated fat or trans fat in the diet can raise cholesterol levels to dangerous levels. Saturated fats can be found in fatty meat cuts and full-fat dairy. Trans fats can be present in a variety of packaged foods and sweets.
- Obesity: If you have a BMI of 30 or more, you're at risk of having high cholesterol. BMI can be calculated using formula BMI = kg/m2 where kg is a person's weight in kilograms and m2 is their height in metres squared. You can also search BMI on any search engine such as google and calculate your BMI easily by inputting your weight and height without worrying about the units and formula.
- Lack of physical activity. Exercise aids in the increase of HDL, or "good," cholesterol in the body.
- Smoking: Cigarette smoking can lower HDL, or "good" cholesterol levels.
- Alcohol Intake: When you drink too much alcohol, your total cholesterol level rises.
- Age: Unhealthy cholesterol can be seen in even young children, although it is considerably more frequent in those over the age of 40. Your liver's ability to eliminate LDL cholesterol decreases as you get older, thus resulting in increase in LDL aka "bad" cholesterol.
Potential Disease Onsets/ Diseases further caused by high cholesterol:
Heart Attack: If your arteries are clogged with plaque, a patch of plaque can rupture/ break open. This can result in a blood clot forming on the plaque's surface. A clot can partially or fully stop blood flow in a coronary artery if it becomes large enough.
Chest pain/Angina: Chest pain or a heart attack can occur when the supply of oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle is limited or blocked due to clogging by LDL.
Stroke: Similar to a heart attack, a stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks blood flow to part of your brain.
Other arteries in your body, such as those that supply oxygen-rich blood to your brain and limbs, can also develop plaque. Carotid artery disease, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease can all result from this.
Diagnosis:
There is no particular or specific symptom of high cholesterol. High cholesterol can be detected by blood tests.
When and how frequently you ought to get this test done depends on your age, chance variables, and family history.
According to MedLine, the common proposals are as follows:
For individuals who are age 19 or younger::
- The first test should be between ages 9 to 11.
- Children should have the test again every 5 years.
- Some children may have this test starting at age 2 if there is a family history of high blood cholesterol, heart attack, or stroke. Again, genetics can be a key factor in such cases.
For individuals who are age 20 or older::
- Younger adults should have the test every 5 years.
- Men ages 45 to 65 and women ages 55 to 65 should have it every 1 to 2 years.
Prevention:
The same healthy lifestyle changes in the heart that can lower cholesterol and those same changes that need to be implemented to mitigate the risks of high cholesterol can help prevent high cholesterol in the first place.
To prevent high cholesterol, you can:
- Eat a low-salt diet and emphasize fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
- Limit the amount of animal fat and use a reasonably good fat
- Lose excess weight and maintain a healthy weight
- Quit smoking
- Do at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week
- Drink moderate alcohol, if any
- Stress management
REF1 :MedLine
REF2 : Mayoclinic