what does high cholesterol do to the body

April 09, 2022 Post a Comment

Loftier Cholesterol - Causes, Symptoms & Treatments

Having high cholesterol can increment your chance of heart and circulatory diseases such as heart attack, stroke and vascular dementia.

What is high cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance establish in your blood. Information technology's produced naturally in the liver.Everyone has cholesterol. We demand it to stay healthy because every jail cell in our trunk uses information technology. Some of this cholesterol comes from the food nosotros eat.

High cholesterol is when you have besides much cholesterol in your blood. This can increase your run a risk of center and circulatory diseases such as eye attack and stroke.

What are the types of cholesterol?

There are two main types of cholesterol, ane good and the other bad. Having too much 'bad' cholesterol tin cause issues with your wellness. Cholesterol is carried in your claret by proteins. When cholesterol and proteins combine, they're called lipoproteins.

Loftier-density lipoproteins or HDL is called 'good' cholesterol. This is because it gets rid of the 'bad' cholesterol from your blood. It takes cholesterol that you don't need back to the liver. The liver breaks it down so information technology tin can be passed out of your torso.

Not-loftier-density lipoproteinsor non-HDL is called 'bad' cholesterol. This is because when there is too much of it, it can build up inside the walls of the claret vessels. This clogs them up causing narrowing of the arteries which increases your run a risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

You may have besides heard 'bad' cholesterol beingness called 'LDL' cholesterol. This was previously used as the primary measure out of bad cholesterol just we at present know that other forms of non-HDL cholesterol are likewise harmful.

Triglycerides

Our blood also contains a type of fatty chosen triglycerides. This is stored in the body'southward fat cells. Being very overweight, eating a lot of fat and sugary foods or drinking too much booze can make you more probable to have a high triglyceride level. Triglycerides tin also contribute to the narrowing of the artery walls, increasing your risk. Yous may see it on your cholesterol reading results, and your doctor volition be able to tell y'all if it's too high.

You tin can have a normal level of HDL and not-HDL cholesterol but still accept a high triglyceride level.

Why is high cholesterol bad for y'all?

Non-HDL have cholesterol from the liver to the cells effectually your body. Likewise much bad cholesterol (non-HDL) tin can be harmful because it sticks to the within walls of your arteries. This can lead to fatty material (atheroma) building upwardly - this process is known as atherosclerosis. Information technology makes information technology harder for claret to period through, which tin lead to a centre set on or a stroke.

If your total cholesterol is high, it can hateful that you have a lot of bad (non-HDL) cholesterol in your blood. A high level of good (HDL) cholesterol can aid keep that bad cholesterol in check and remove it from your body.

What should my cholesterol level be?

At that place is no specific target cholesterol level because your physician is looking at your overall take a chance of developing heart and circulatory diseases. Our nurse talks most cholesterol numbers in our below video:

What causes loftier cholesterol?

Anyone can get high cholesterol, and it can be caused by many different things. Some things y'all tin can control like lifestyle habits, others you tin can't. As long as you have care of the things you lot can control, you'll help lower your risk.

Things that cause high cholesterol you can control:

eating too much saturated fat
not being active enough
having likewise much body fat, especially effectually your middle.

Smoking tin lead to loftier cholesterol levels, and the build-upwards of tar it causes in your arteries makes it easier for cholesterol to stick to your artery walls.

If you are overweight or have diabetes, you are at greater hazard of having loftier cholesterol.

Things that cause high cholesterol y'all can't control:

getting older
if you are male or female
ethnic background
Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH), a course of high cholesterol you are born with
kidney or liver disease
an underactive thyroid gland

Signs and symptoms of high cholesterol

At that place aren't ordinarily whatever typical signs yous have loftier cholesterol which is why it'south so important to get it checked out. Information technology's a hidden risk factor which means it happens without us knowing until it's also belatedly.

How is cholesterol measured?

Blood cholesterol levels are measured using a simple blood exam. Your GP or practice nurse will have a blood sample, unremarkably by pricking your finger or you might exist asked to go for a claret test at your local infirmary.

Your blood is so checked for levels of practiced (HDL) cholesterol, bad (not-HDL) cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as getting a total cholesterol result.

Cholesterol and triglycerides are measured in units called millimoles per litre of blood, commonly shortened to 'mmol/Litre' or 'mmol/L'. More often than not speaking, for a healthy heart the aim is to accept a low non-HDL level and a higher HDL level.

If you have been told you have a loftier cholesterol level, you lot have besides much 'bad' cholesterol in your bloodstream which increases your risk of having a eye attack or stroke. Merely a high level of 'good' (HDL) cholesterol can assist proceed that 'bad' (non-HDL) cholesterol in bank check.

What does having high cholesterol mean for my wellness?

Your risk of heart and circulatory disease is increased if you have loftier cholesterol also as other risk factors, such as:

smoking
high blood pressure
being physically inactive
being overweight
having diabetes
family history of premature coronary eye disease (before 55 for men and before 65 for women)
beingness of South Asian origin

The more risk factors you have, the higher your chance of developing a heart or circulatory affliction such equally a eye attack, stroke or vascular dementia.

How tin can I lower my cholesterol levels?

Eat a healthy balanced nutrition, depression in saturated fat
Get active
Quit smoking

Find out more almost living a healthy lifestyle and elementary swaps you lot tin make to help reduce your cholesterol.

OUR 5 TOP Ways TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL

Medications and treatments for high cholesterol

If your cholesterol is very high and if lifestyle changes are not plenty, your physician might suggest controlling it with medication.

Statins are the main blazon of medicine used to reduce cholesterol. Your physician volition let yous know if you need to take any other drugs which help control your cholesterol levels. They may too refer you to a specialist called a lipidologist.

If y'all have questions well-nigh your medicines, speak with your doctor or call our Heart Helpline on 0300 330 3311. You can as well look at our publications for more information.

Help and support

If you are aged 40-74 you lot tin ask for an NHS health check in England only, but similar schemes are available in other parts of the UK. Your physician should write to you every 5 years about this, but you tin also simply brand an appointment to bank check your blood force per unit area.

If y'all accept loftier cholesterol, it's important to know that yous're not lone. Find back up from healthcare professionals and the people around you.

Phone call our Heart Helpline at 0300 330 3311 to speak to 1 of our Cardiac Nurses. They can give you information and support about eye and circulatory diseases, and their risk factors.

Join our HealthUnlocked community.

Manage your cholesterol

Our cholesterol hub answers all your questions about cholesterol, including how to manage information technology, when to get checks and more nearly statins.

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