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| What is cholesterol, What is
its use in the body? |
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Cholesterol is a fat like substance. It is
used throughout the body to form the membranes of all cells. A
large
amount of cholesterol is used for making bile salts in the liver,
which are used for digestion of fats. A large amount of cholesterol
is present in skin, which protects excessive evaporation of water.
Without presence of cholesterol in the skin, the daily water evaporation
from surface of the skin might be as high as 5-10 liters instead
of what we have in normal conditions, i.e., 400-500 ml.
Cholesterol is also used to produce many hormones such as sex hormones
and adrenal hormones, besides vitamin D. However, it takes only a small
amount of cholesterol in the blood to meet these needs.
What is "good" cholesterol ?
It is a high density lipoprotein (HDL), which is manufactured by
the liver, and it has a protective effect on the blood vessels.
What is "bad" cholesterol ?
It is a low density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low density lipoprotein
(VLDL), which gets deposited in the blood vessels. Therefore it is
"bad" for your health.
Does eating more fats has anything to do with my blood cholesterol
levels?
Yes. Both diet having cholesterol as well as high fats will directly
increase your "bad" cholesterol. Saturated fats raise
your blood cholesterol level more than anything else. So, the
best
way to reduce your cholesterol level is to cut back on the amount
of saturated fats that you eat. These fats are found in large
amount in the animal products such as butter, cheese, whole milk,
ice cream, cream and fatty meats. They are also found in some
vegetable
oils--coconut, palm and palm kernel oils.
Which food contains cholesterol ?
Certain types of red meat are high in saturated fat and cholesterol,
which can raise your blood cholesterol. However, you do not need
to stop eating them
or any other single food. Red meat is an important source of protein,
iron, and other vitamins and minerals. You should, however, cut
back on the amount of saturated fat that you eat.
One way to do this is by choosing lean cuts of meat with the fat
trimmed. Another way is to watch your portion sizes and eat no
more
than six ounces of meat a day.
| How
does cholesterol affect your health? |
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In normal condition, cholesterol is very
helpful to you, making various enzymes and hormones, so that your
body can
function normally. However, due to age related changes in the blood
vessels accompanied by any of the "Risk Factors", the
cholesterol gets accumulated and starts lodging in the arteries
of the VITAL ORGANS such as heart and brain. This condition is
known as "hypercholesterolaemia" (abnormally high cholesterol
in blood) 
Gradually, if not treated well in time, the lodged cholesterol causes
a sort of "road block" in the arteries, and does not let
the blood pass through easily. As a result, the vital organs such
as heart and brain get suffocated. This lodging of cholesterol in
blood vessels causes thickening and hardening of an artery, known
as atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis is one of the leading causes of death in US above
age 65 for both sexes. It causes not only cardiovascular disease
such as coronary artery disease, but also affects the brain and
causes cerebrovascular disease.
The heart suffers from what is known as "ischaemia" (lack
of blood supply) and gives rise to dull, nonspecific pain in chest,
known as "angina". If angina is not taken care of immediately,
one fine day, the affected area of heart stops getting blood supply
and you get heart attack (known as myocardial infarction)
| When should you
check your cholesterol? |
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Following unhealthy conditions / habits have a
very close association with high cholesterol (Hypercholesterolaemia)
and accompanying each other, these factors together can precipitate
a coronary heart disease.
Even if one of the following risk factors are present, the
person is more likely to get CHD than the person not having any
risk factors.
- Smoking -
Smoking has several harmful effects on cholesterol. Smoking
reduces HDL ("good") cholesterol and in all likelihood
changes LDL ("bad") cholesterol to a form that
promotes its deposits in the walls of the coronary arteries.
In addition,
smoking has harmful effects on the heart and blood vessels.
Thus, smoking substantially raises the risk of coronary heart
disease
if you are healthy and multiplies that risk many
more times if you have other risk factors such as high blood
cholesterol. All in all, smoking is the leading yet preventable
cause of death.
- Hypertension
(high blood pressure. Normal values 140/90 or less)
- Obesity –
Excessive weight and high cholesterol go hand in hand.
- Diabetes –
Diabetes adds on to the existing trouble of cardiovascular system
and precipitates coronary heart disease
- Family history of CHD (coronary heart disease) :
Having a first degree male relative who had a heart attack,
angioplasty or bypass under age 55.
Having a first degree female relative who had an angioplasty,
heart attack or bypass under age 65.
High levels of cholesterol in the body can be detected by a simple
blood test.
Some guidelines for cholesterol :
Total cholesterol
> 240 mg/dL – Be Alert!!! Seek for a medical consultation
immediately!!!
between 200 & 239 mg/dL – you are a borderline
case for coronary heart disease. + If you are positive in any of
two or more risk factors
mentioned above, you enter a HIGH RISK
category for CHD!!
All the High Risk patients should be treated aggressively for lowering
blood cholesterol, since there is no treatment for atherosclerosis,
the goal of treatment is to reduce hypercholesterolaemia and
normalizing blood
cholesterolusing medication, diet, exercise and dietary supplements.
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