Even if you have high cholesterol levels you will generally continue to feel quite well. You may be quite unaware that you are at risk from heart disease as generally there are no warning signs of the lurking dangers.
Cholesterol is a fatty substance in your blood produced naturally by your body and is essential to the adequate functioning of all the cells in your body. While most of the cholesterol in your blood is produced by your liver, additional cholesterol also comes from some foods you eat, particularly those with high levels of saturated fats. The fats produced by your liver travel through your blood as particles. These particles are known as low-density lipoprotein [LDL] and high-density lipoprotein [HDL.
Of these two types of blood-borne particles, LDL is regarded as the bad cholesterol because it is likely to clog your blood vessels. HDL on the other hand, can help unclog arteries, minimizing your chances of heart disease, and hence is regarded a good cholesterol.
What does a high cholesterol level do?
The major cause of heart disease is a build up of fatty substances in the inner linings of the main arteries of your heart as a result of high levels of LDL cholesterol. This build up causes clogging of the arteries, preventing an adequate blood supply to carry oxygen to organs and tissues throughout your body.
What can I do about my cholesterol levels?
It is important to seek medical advice in order to have your LDL and HDL levels accurately assessed. Then, depending on what other risk factors you may have, you can make appropriate lifestyle changes to lower your cholesterol level.
The major factors in the development of high cholesterol levels are:
genetic factors you may have inherited;
a diet rich in saturated fats;
not getting enough daily exercise.
You can do little about the first of these yourself – you cannot change this! You can however, make significant changes in your lifestyle with beneficial effects on the other two of these major factors.
Reducing the amount of saturated fat in your diet will not only bring about lowering of your LDL levels but also help you maintain a healthy weight level appropriate for your body type and your age.
Ensuring you have an adequate level of daily physical activity will have a beneficial effect not only on your cholesterol level by helping you maintain your healthy weight but will also assist you to keep your blood pressure at a normal level.
If your doctor believes that, despite your lifestyle changes, you have some adverse genetic factors, he can prescribe medication which, together with suitable diet and adequate exercise, can make significant changes to your cholesterol levels.
Summary: keeping your cholesterol in control:
eat a healthy diet;
try to keep your weight at an appropriate level;
take part in some physical activity most days;
keep your blood pressure at a normal level:
take medication if prescribed by your doctor;
in addition, if you are a smoker – STOP.
John Vanse
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/high-cholesterol-what-are-the-risk-factors-for-me-138731.html
6 comments ↓
Why is having high cholesterol bad?
I was just at my doctor and was told I have high cholesterol after getting my blood work results back. I didn’t have much time to go into detail with my doc on the factors associating with that. The normal average healthy range is 100 and below. I’m at 130 in cholesterol level. So, why is it bad to have high cholesterol? I was told to eat more high fiber foods which will help and to make sure what I am eating does not have any cholesterol. What risk factors come with high cholesterol? Also, I only eat twice a day and so are there any supplemental vitamins to take?
an early death ?
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Because it can build up plaque in your arteries..thus restricting blood flow…cause of strokes and heart attacks…diabeties…and lose of vision. Need to maintain weight, exercise and watch what and how you eat. tagger
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Hi cholerterol can lead to fatty deposits in the arteries of the heart, kindey and legs. This cuts down circulation and if soe of the deposit should dislodge, it can cause a stroke, heart attack, renal infarct or pulm emboli-none of which is a good thing. Read labels=no more than 30 percent of y our diet should come from fats.
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Your body needs very little cholesterol, and the cholesterol that cannot be put to good use is taken up by your immune system (white blood cells). These white blood cells become bloated, and deposit on the walls of your arteries, forming plaques, and contributing to arterial blockages, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
The fiber will help because it is non-digestible, and has some similar chemical characteristics as cholesterol. These similar characteristics allow you to poo out the cholesterol instead of absorbing it.
As far as supplements go, there is always a debate going about whether they help. I say that if you have a low-nutrient diet, taking a multi-vitamin can’t hurt.
I hope that helps!
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High Cholesterol is bad because it builds up in your arteries and narrows the opening in which blood can get through. By narrowing the artery, your heart has to work harder to pump blood through and stress can occur on your heart, leading to further problems. To lower your cholesterol just eat stuff with low cholesterol, cheerios, whole grains, etc. There probably are supplements to lower your cholesterol, and I know there are several medications, but clear it with your doctor if you are thinking about taking them, and the natural way is always best anyway! Hope this helps!
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