A cholesterol level of less than 200 mg/dL is considered desirable, whereas 200-240 mg/dL is considered moderately to borderline high.
Cholesterol is a fatty substance - chemically a sterol lipid - that is an essential ingredients of many physiological body functions, but spells danger to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health if it reaches high concentrations in the blood.
Plaque Forms
With high cholesterol, these fatty substances stick to the inner walls of large and medium-sized arteries. With time these patches of deposits harden to form a plaque, leading to loss of arterial wall elasticity and hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
The plaque also makes the interior space in the arteries narrow, hindering blood flow to the heart, brain and kidneys. Restricted blood flow causes a host of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and kidney diseases, such as heart attack, stroke, paralysis, and kidney failure. These conditions can cause death if the blockage is more than 70-80%. Athersclerosis can affect arteries of other organs too.
Symptoms
The condition of high cholesterol does not present any easily recognizable symptoms of its own, so you could be suffering from this condition for years without even being aware of it. That is why it is important to get an annual blood lipid profile done after age 35 or 40.
Sometimes high cholesterol gets detected while being diagnosed for health problems arising from partial artery blockage, for example, dizziness, vertigo, and high blood pressure. So, the best way to keep your cholesterol levels under check is through regular blood tests.
High Cholesterol
When one talks of high cholesterol, one talks of high LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol - the so-called bad cholesterol that promotes the build-up of plaque in the arteries. But what causes the condition of high cholesterol to develop?
Several factors bring on high cholesterol levels in the blood. One of the most important is low HDL (high-density lipoprotein) in the blood. This so-called good cholesterol helps to transport excess cholesterol away from the arteries and tissues to the liver for breakdown and disposal. But again, what causes the HDL levels to become low?
The same elements that raise the bad cholesterol (LDL) level can also lower the good cholesterol (HDL) level. For example, dietary cholesterol from egg yolk, saturated fats from whole-cream dairy products, and commercial bakery items, all contribute to bad high cholesterol.
You can add organ meats and trans fats from deep-fried foods to this list. Sadly, they do nothing to raise the HDL. Obesity increases the LDL and total cholesterol, as well as decreases the HDL, acting like a double-edged sword.
The Good News is...
But the good news is that regular physical exercise can also play a dual role in fighting high cholesterol. That is, it lowers the LDL and total cholesterol while raising the HDL at the same time. Other than diet and obesity, sedentary lifestyle, smoking and consuming too much alcohol also contribute to high cholesterol.
Heredity and aging are two contributory factors that one does not have much control over. But adopting an active lifestyle and a low-cholesterol diet can make a difference. Your diet should consist of healthy kinds of fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated vegetable oils, omega-3 fats).
Also eat fiber-rich whole grains and cereals, and loads of fresh fruits and vegetables. This diet can help you in overcoming the problem of high cholesterol despite heredity and age.
The standard medical recommendation is for the LDL cholesterol - the "bad" cholesterol - to be less than 130 mg/dl and even below 100 mg/dl for people who have had a heart attack or are considered high risk for a heart attack.
I encourage people to look at the big picture and not just focus on a number. If your LDL is slightly elevated and you start taking a statin drug to lower your LDL cholesterol the benefits to your overall health are uncertain at best.
What should you do if you have elevated cholesterol?
First of all, I highly recommend the C-reactive-protein test for knowing whether your arteries are inflamed. Secondly, check out the Cardiovascular Profile test for knowing the elasticity of your arteries.
As reviewed in my other articles on heart disease, artery inflammation and elasticity are much better indicators of heart disease than cholesterol levels.
If you have significantly elevated cholesterol, you should pay attention to it and treat it.
Much depends on how elevated your cholesterol is, and if you're willing to do some work to improve your risk of heart disease instead of just starting on the statin drugs.
Statin drugs have significant risks: they cause decreased levels of Co Q10, they put strain on your liver and they frequently cause leg pain.
So it's much better to work on decreasing your cholesterol levels and other risk factors for heart disease without taking statin drugs -- if you're willing to do what it takes.
The basic nutrients to support your arteries and reduce inflammation include:
- 100 ml of Co Q10 daily
- 4-6 gm of fish or cod liver oil daily (equivalent to at least 600mg EPA)
- 100mg of magnesium twice a day
Do not take magnesium oxide as it is not as easily absorbed as other forms of magnesium such as glycinate or malate.
Exercise and the amazing amino acid L-arginine can improve your blood pressure and the elasticity of your arteries.
Can you decrease your cholesterol levels by changing your diet?
The idea that eating cholesterol is what causes you to have high cholesterol is false.
If you don't eat cholesterol, your body will make it. The body knows how much cholesterol it wants and, for some reason or other, it might allow a high level of cholesterol. Only 15% of cholesterol in the body comes from the diet anyway. The liver makes the other 85%.
However, you certainly can affect cholesterol by your diet. A significant way to lower cholesterol is to include adequate amounts of healthy fiber in your diet.
Your body doesn't waste. Instead, your body is continually recycling; it even recycles cholesterol.
If we have enough fiber, then the fiber acts as a sponge. So the cholesterol that makes its way into the intestinal tract will not be reabsorbed but will attach to the fiber and be eliminated.
The America Heart Association recommends including up to 30g of fiber/day.
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