High Blood Cholesterol is a Threat to Life: Here’s Why
High Blood Cholesterol is a Threat to Life: Here’s Why
Welcome to an eye opening exploration of a critical health concern – high blood cholesterol.
This silent and insidious condition is a ticking time bomb within our bodies, waiting for its time to explode.
The rising incidence of cardiovascular diseases is a sign of the urgency to address this issue.
In this article, we delve into the alarming impact of high cholesterol levels, its causes and the preventive measures to safeguard our health.
Let's dive in! As we unlock the vital information that can lead us on a path to healthier living.
Blood Cholesterol: What Does it Mean?
Cholesterol is a natural waxy, fatty substance in your blood.
It helps the body in making hormones, vitamin D, and aids digestion. It also plays a role in cell production and helps your organs function properly.
Your liver and other cells in the body make about 75% of the cholesterol your body needs.
The other 25 % comes from the food you eat. Although, many people get more cholesterol than they need from their diet.
Don't get it wrong, our body needs cholesterol to function, just that it should be in the right amount, which is why you need to pay more attention to your diet.
On the flip side, if you have too much cholesterol, that means that you have too many lipids (fats) in your blood. It is also known as hyperlipidemia or hypercholesterolemia.
When cholesterol becomes too much in the blood it becomes the “bad guy.”
Good Cholesterol Vs Bad Cholesterol
Cholesterol is carried through your blood and attached to proteins. The attachment of these two is called “lipoprotein.”
There are different types of cholesterol, based on what the lipoprotein carries. They are:
Low-density Lipoprotein (LDL)
High-density Lipoprotein (HDL)
Low-density Lipoprotein (LDL)
This is the “unhealthy” cholesterol type.
LDL cholesterol can build up in your arteries and form fatty, waxy deposits called plaques.
They build up in the walls of your arteries, making them hard and narrow.
High-density Lipoprotein (HDL):
HDL is the “good” cholesterol. Take the meaning of the “H” in HDL as “Healthy”.
It picks up excess cholesterol in the blood and takes it back to your liver which keeps the cholesterol levels balanced.
However, if your “HDL” is too low, you’ll have too much cholesterol circulating in your blood.
This is so because it won't be efficient in carrying cholesterol to your liver, where it’s flushed out of your body.
Triglycerides are another type of fat in your blood. When you eat more calories than your body can use, it turns the extra calories into triglycerides.
Causes of High Blood Cholesterol
High cholesterol can be inherited but it often occurs as a result of unhealthy lifestyles. This makes it highly preventable and curable.
Some of the unhealthy lifestyles include:
Poor Diet:
Eating foods high in saturated fat or trans fat can result in unhealthy cholesterol levels.
Such as in packaged snacks or desserts, saturated fats are found in fatty cuts of meat and full-fat dairy products.
Excessive Alcohol:
Too much alcohol in your body can raise your total cholesterol level.
Sedentary Lifestyle:
Exercise helps boost your body’s HDL, the “good” cholesterol.
On the other hand, physical inactivity increases the level of bad cholesterol in the blood.
Chronic Stress:
Stress triggers hormonal changes that cause your body to produce cholesterol.
Smoking and Tobacco Use:
Smoking increases your bad cholesterol (LDL) and reduces your good cholesterol “HDL” level.
Obesity:
If your body mass index (BMI) is 30 or greater, you are at risk of high cholesterol.
Age:
Young children do have unhealthy cholesterol as well, but it’s more common in people over 40 years of age.
Because as you age, your liver becomes less able to remove LDL cholesterol.
Medical conditions that can cause high cholesterol level include:
Lupus
Diabetes
HIV/AIDS
Liver disease
Hypothyroidism
High blood pressure
Chronic Kidney disease.
How Do You Know If You Have High Blood Cholesterol?
You could have high cholesterol and not know it, because high cholesterol doesn't cause any symptoms for most people.
High cholesterol is more common in people with diabetes and also raises risk of conditions like peripheral artery disease, high blood pressure, stroke and many more.
Many people won't discover that they have high cholesterol until they suffer one of these conditions.
Most people find out through routine check-ups that include blood tests, which is why it’s important to go for regular body check up.
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Cholesterol screening tests should be done between the ages of 9 and 11 at first, should then be repeated every five years.
Some common examples of cholesterol screening tests include:
Lipid Profile: This comprehensive test measures total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.
Total Cholesterol Test: This test measures the overall amount of cholesterol in the blood.
LDL Cholesterol Test: Specifically measures the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, also known as “bad” cholesterol.
HDL Cholesterol Test: Measures the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, also known as "good" cholesterol.
Non-HDL Cholesterol: Calculates the non-HDL cholesterol by subtracting the HDL cholesterol level from the total cholesterol, providing additional information about cardiovascular risk.
Triglyceride Test: Measures the level of triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood.
VLDL Cholesterol Calculation: Estimates the level of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, which plays a role in transporting triglycerides.
These tests are typically conducted through a blood sample taken from a vein in your arm.
The frequency and timing of cholesterol screening depend on individual risk factors and medical history.
Therefore, it's best to consult a healthcare professional to determine the appropriate screening schedule for you.
High Blood Cholesterol is a Threat to Life: Here’s Why
How is high blood cholesterol a threat to life?
If you have high blood cholesterol, your body makes use of the amount needed and stores the extra cholesterol in your arteries (blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body).
A build-up of cholesterol in your arteries is known as plaque formation (medically called atherosclerosis).
People with atherosclerosis face a higher risk of different medical conditions.
With time, these plaques become hard, causing narrowing or total blocking of the arteries, thereby limiting the amount of blood that can flow through.
you don’t get it ? okay!
Let’s take plaque as the food remnants that block the drain in your kitchen sink at home and slows down the free passage of water, thereby leading to accumulation of more water.
The longer you go without treatment, the bigger the plaque gets. Though, your blood vessels may still work for a long time, but they won't work as efficiently as they should.
High cholesterol raises your risk of other medical conditions depending on which blood vessels are clogged.
They include:
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD):
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is also called ischemic heart disease.
This happens when atherosclerosis affects your coronary arteries —the blood vessels that carry blood to your heart.
When your heart is deprived of sufficient blood, it can lead to heart failure or heart attack.
You don't realize it's happening until you get chest pain (angina) or other signs of heart attack like dizziness or shortness of breath.
Carotid Artery Disease:
Your carotid arteries carry blood to the large, front part of your brain. When plaque clogs these arteries, your brain won't get enough oxygen-rich blood.
This can lead to transient ischemic attack (TIA) or a stroke.
Peripheral Artery Disease:
This is when plaque affects the arteries in your legs or arms.
The arteries in your legs and arms are “peripheral” because they’re away from your heart and the center of your body.
It’s more common in your legs but can also happen in your arms.
The symptom common to people with “PAD” is leg cramp.
It starts when you move around then stops when you stop walking.
High Blood Pressure:
Hypertension and high cholesterol work hand in hand.
Cholesterol plaque causes your arteries to become hard and narrow. So, your heart has to strain harder to pump blood through them.
As a result, your blood pressure becomes too high.
Chest Pain:
When your heart doesn't get enough oxygen-rich blood, you can develop chest-pain called “angina” which is a common sign for most cardiovascular disorders.
Heart Attack:
When plaque build up inside a coronary artery cuts off blood flow to the heart muscle, the affected part of the heart muscle can die. This is called a heart attack.
Stroke:
Similar to a heart attack, cholesterol build up in the arteries can also block a blood vessel to the brain and cause stroke.
Gallstones:
In the digestive system, cholesterol is essential for the production of bile —a substance that helps your body break down foods and absorb nutrients in your intestines.
However, if you have too much cholesterol in your bile, the excess forms into hard stones in your gallbladder, which can be very painful.
Treatment and Prevention: How to Lower Your Blood Cholesterol
You only need some simple lifestyle changes plus medication.
If you have medical conditions that affect your cholesterol, you may need a more complex approach.
These lifestyle changes include:
Quit smoking
Manage stress
Regular physical activity
Maintain a healthy weight
Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all.
Regular check up: regular monitoring of cholesterol levels can also help prevent your numbers from getting too high or low. Check your cholesterol level every four to six years.
Choose healthy foods: such as a diet that contains a wide variety of fruits, fiber, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, avocados, vegetable oils, and lean proteins such as soy, poultry, and fish.
Your diet should be low in salt, sugar, saturated fats, trans fats and red meat.
For most people who need medication to manage high cholesterol, doctors will prescribe statins.
Statins, also known as HMG CoA reductase inhibitors, are a class of drugs that prevent cholesterol from forming in the liver, where both LDL and HDL cholesterol are made.
This lowers the amount of cholesterol circulating in the blood. They are most effective at lowering LDL cholesterol but can also lower triglycerides and HDL cholesterol.
Other drug groups include:
Fibrates
Niacin/nicotinic acid
Bile Acid Sequestrants
Omega 3 fatty acid supplements
Selective Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors
pcsk9 Inhibitors: It is administered by injection. They are often used for patients with high cholesterol who don't respond to statins.
The Recommended Cholesterol Level/Range
Lowering the risk of heart disease is now the main focus for cholesterol treatment rather than achieving a particular number.
However, some recommendations may include:
LDL cholesterol: any value less than 100mg/dL is considered normal.
HDL cholesterol: value around 40mg/dL or higher for men, 50mg/dL or higher for women are considered normal.
Total cholesterol: any value less than 200 mg/dL is normal.
Triglycerides: any reading less than 150 mg/dL is normal.
Getting your cholesterol checked at regular doctor visits coupled with diet, exercise and medication can help decrease complications and improve quality of life.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, high blood cholesterol poses a significant threat to life.
Therefore, it’s important to raise awareness about the benefits of maintaining healthy cholesterol levels through certain lifestyle changes.
Also, understanding its consequences is crucial for the individual and general public health.
Moreover, early detection and proactive management of cholesterol levels can help reduce the burden of other preventable diseases and save lives.
By prioritizing cholesterol management and promoting preventive measures, we can significantly move towards a healthier and longer life for individuals worldwide.
See you in the next blog post. Stay healthy!