This fat is essential for the development and protection of nerve cells, which enable the brain to communicate with the rest of the body. While you need some cholesterol for your brain to function optimally, too much of it can be damaging. Excess cholesterol in the arteries can lead to strokes — a disruption in blood flow that can damage parts of the brain, leading to loss of memory, movement, difficulty with swallowing and speech and other functions.
High blood cholesterol on its own has also been implicated in the loss of memory and mental function. 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.
But if you have too much cholesterol in your bile, the excess forms into crystals and then hard stones in your gallbladder. Gallstones can be very painful. Keeping an eye on your cholesterol level with recommended blood tests and lowering your risk for heart disease will help improve your overall quality of life. Having too much LDL cholesterol can put you at greater risk of heart attack or stroke.
Read on to…. Your doctor will look at many factors when they decide which statin is safest for you, including your health and other medications you take. Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance that's found in your body and that travels through your bloodstream.
About three of every four heart attacks occur when plaques rupture. Larger plaques can block blood flow. But they are typically covered by thick, fibrous caps that can resist breaking apart. These are often treated by inserting a wire mesh tube stent near the blockage to widen the artery. Doctors target smaller, unstable plaque. How do you get the cholesterol out of the plaque? By lowering levels of cholesterol in the blood, where it travels inside particles called lipoproteins.
Low-density lipoprotein LDL deposits cholesterol into blood vessel walls. The drugs used most often to reduce LDL cholesterol levels are statins —such as atorvastatin Lipitor and rosuvastatin Crestor. Statins block the liver enzyme that promotes cholesterol production. Another medication called ezetimibe Zetia may be added to inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the digestive tract. Harvard Health Letter. Very intensive lifestyle changes have also been shown to shrink plaque.
Cannon recommends that you:. Cholesterol is often vilified as the bad guy, but we need this waxy, fatty substance to make vitamin D, hormones, bile that aids digestion, and the coverings of our cells. When cells need more cholesterol, the liver sends it via the bloodstream in packages made of cholesterol on the inside and protein on the outside. These cholesterol-laden particles are known as low-density lipoprotein, or LDL.
Too much LDL in the blood can cause cholesterol to lodge in the artery walls and form plaques. The answer to this question is due to the difference between high-density lipoproteins HDL and low-density lipoproteins LDL , which we will discuss shortly.
Other sites of synthesis include the reproductive glands, intestines and adrenal glands. Because the body monitors its own cholesterol levels, it will produce more if cells do not have enough. Dietary cholesterol is acquired through eating and is found in foods such as dairy products, red meat, poultry, pork, shellfish, eggs, and cheese.
Because cholesterol is oil-based and does not mix with blood which is water-based, it is carried around the body by lipoproteins.
Lipoproteins are quite literally fat lipids and soluble proteins, with proteins on the outside and lipids on the inside.
Low-density lipoproteins LDL are frequently referred to as the "bad" type of cholesterol. LDL circulates in your blood and leaves fatty deposits which result in a buildup of plaque within the lining of your arteries. High-density lipoproteins HDL are viewed as the "good" type of cholesterol. HDL aids in keeping bad cholesterol away from your arteries by clearing away excess LDL found in the blood and then transporting it back to the liver. Once LDL is in the liver, it is removed by utilizing it for the production of bile acids which aid the intestines in the digestive process.
Because HDL can assist with clearing away excess fatty deposits in the arteries, it is helpful in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Every adult should have their cholesterol checked at least once every five years as part of their yearly physical exam. The results of this test will also assist the physician in developing a plan of treatment and follow-up if needed.
The following table shows what the optimal, borderline and high cholesterol numbers are per healthcare industry standards. Do you know your numbers? Hypercholesterolemia is a condition that can result in serious health conditions such as coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, and cerebrovascular disease. The higher the LDL level is, the greater the risk.
Inversely, the higher the HDL level, the lower the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. One major complication of hypercholesterolemia is a condition known as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis , or the hardening and narrowing of the arteries, is caused by the buildup of cholesterol plaques along the inner lining endothelium of the arterial walls. These plaques are usually able to form and adhere to the vessel wall after damage to the endothelium has occurred by other factors that include smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, and more.
When LDL attaches to the arterial wall it causes inflammation; in response, the body will send white blood cells macrophages to attack the cholesterol. Over a period of time the combination and accumulation of cholesterol and white blood cells both active and dead , along with calcium and other crystallized materials, will build up and create atherosclerotic plaque.
This buildup of plaque can significantly reduce blood flow causing some disease states. Atherosclerosis is a chronic, cumulative and slowly progressive condition that may remain asymptomatic for many years.
Once atherosclerotic plaque has significantly reduced blood flow within an artery it can wreak major havoc on the body, depending on its location. There are three common conditions caused by atherosclerosis:. An additional complication of cardiovascular disease is the potential development of an aneurysm. An aneurysm is a localized bulge caused by the weakening of an arterial wall which can occur can occur anywhere in the body.
If an aneurysm ruptures, it can cause a life-threatening emergency due to internal bleeding. Hypercholesterolemia by itself is usually asymptomatic, meaning that it does not present any signs or symptoms.
See our editorial policies and staff. About Cholesterol. Causes of High Cholesterol. Prevention and Treatment of High Cholesterol. Cholesterol Tools and Resources. Cholesterol Podcasts. Do you have questions about cholesterol? We have answers.
0コメント