What is cholesterol? What causes high cholesterol?

Cholesterol is both our friend and foe - at normal levels, it is an essential substance for the body's normal functioning, but if levels in the blood get too high, it becomes a silent danger that puts us at risk of a heart attack.

Use this page to find out more about what cholesterol is, and what causes high blood levels. High cholesterol is not itself a condition that presents symptoms - instead, regular tests are used to make the diagnosis, and also to monitor progress with treatment.

 

 

 

What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is found in every cell of the body and has important natural functions. It is manufactured by the body but can also be taken in from food. It is waxy and fat-like in appearance.1-3

Cholesterol is oil-based and so does not mix with the blood, which is water-based. It is therefore carried around the body in the blood by lipoproteins.1-3

 

The parcels of cholesterol are carried by two types of lipoprotein:2

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL - cholesterol carried by this type is known as 'bad' cholesterol)
High-density lipoprotein (HDL - cholesterol carried by this type is known as 'good' cholesterol).

Cholesterol has four main functions, without which we could not live. It:1,3

Contributes to the structure of cell walls
Makes up digestive bile acids in the intestine
Allows the body to produce vitamin D
Enables the body to make certain hormones.

What causes high cholesterol?
High cholesterol or hypercholesterolemia is also known as hyperlipidemia and dyslipidemia.4 It is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, a cause of heart attacks, and reducing blood lipid levels lowers the cardiovascular risk.4

High levels of LDL lead to a build-up of cholesterol in the arteries, whereas HDL carries cholesterol to the liver for removal from the body.2 A build-up of cholesterol forms part of the process that narrows arteries, called atherosclerosis, in which plaques form and cause restriction of blood flow.2

Two types of cause lead to high cholesterol levels - modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. The major two risk factors are highly modifiable - something can be done to change them:2

Diet
Exercise and weight.

 

Limiting intake of fat in the diet helps manage cholesterol levels, limiting foods, in particular, that contain:2

Cholesterol (from animal foods, such as egg yolks, meat and cheese)
Saturated fat (found in some meats, dairy products, chocolate, baked goods, and deep-fried and processed foods)
Trans fat (found in some fried and processed foods).

Being overweight or obese can lead to higher blood LDL levels so exercise can help manage this risk factor.2

The primary causes of hyperlipidemia are genetic - very high LDL levels are found in the inherited condition familial hypercholesterolemia.5 Other genetic conditions passed down from parents are: familial combined hyperlipidemia, familial dysbetalipoproteinemia and familial hypertriglyceridemia

Abnormal cholesterol levels may also be secondary to the following:5,6

Diabetes
Liver or kidney disease
Polycystic ovary syndrome
Pregnancy and other conditions that increase levels of female hormones
Underactive thyroid gland.
Drugs that increase LDL cholesterol and decrease HDL cholesterol (progestins, anabolic steroids and corticosteroids).

 

Fast facts on cholesterol
Here are some key facts about cholesterol. Find more detail and supporting information in the article.
Cholesterol is an essential substance that is produced by the body but is also available from foods.
The greatest risk factors for high cholesterol are modifiable lifestyle choices - diet and exercise.
High cholesterol levels can be inherited with the genetic condition, familial hypercholesterolemia.
Having high cholesterol does not produce any symptoms.
Cholesterol levels should be blood-tested once every five years.
First-line ways to reduce cholesterol involve lifestyle changes.
If lifestyle changes are unsuccessful or cholesterol levels are very high, lipid-lowering drugs such as statins may be prescribed.
High cholesterol levels are an important contributor in the calculation of an individual's risk of having a heart attack within the next ten years.

Recent development
Dementia health also affected by cholesterol levels. The balance of LDL and HDL cholesterol levels is important not just for heart health but for brain health too, according to a December 2013 study. The research, published in JAMA Neurology, found that control of cholesterol reduced the brain plaques linked to Alzheimer's disease.

 

 

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9152.php

 

 

다음 글을 읽고 옳바른 지식을 갖기 바람

 

Andreas Moritz

Liver and Gallbladder Flush  page 32

 

Cholesterol is essential for normal functioning of the immune
system, particularly for the body’s response to the millions of cancer
cells that every person makes in his body each day. For all the health
problems associated with cholesterol, this important substance is not
something we should try to eliminate from our bodies. Cholesterol
does far more good than harm. The harm is generally symptomatic of
other problems. I wish to emphasize, once again, that ‘bad’
cholesterol only attaches itself to the walls of arteries to avert
immediate heart trouble, not to create it.
This is confirmed by the fact that cholesterol never attaches itself
to the walls of veins. When a doctor tests your cholesterol levels, he
takes the blood sample from a vein, not from an artery. Although
blood flow is much slower in veins than in arteries, cholesterol should
obstruct veins much more readily than arteries, but it never does.
There simply is no need for that. Why? Because there are no
abrasions and tears in the lining of the vein that require patching up.
Cholesterol only affixes itself to arteries in order to coat and cover up
the abrasions and protect the underlying tissue like a waterproof
bandage. Veins do not absorb proteins in their basements membranes
like capillaries and arteries do and, therefore, are not prone to this
type of injury.
‘Bad’ cholesterol saves lives; it does not take lives. LDL allows
the blood to flow through injured blood vessels without causing a lifeendangering
situation. The theory of high LDL being a principal
cause of coronary heart disease is not only unproved and unscientific.
It has misled the population to believe that cholesterol is an enemy
that has to be fought and destroyed at all costs. Human studies have
not shown a cause-and-effect relationship between cholesterol and
heart disease. The hundreds of studies so far conducted on such a
relationship have only shown that there is a statistical correlation
between the two. And there should be, because if there were no ‘bad’
cholesterol molecules attaching themselves to injured arteries we
would have millions of more deaths from heart attack than we already
have. on the other hand, dozens of conclusive studies have shown
that risk of heart disease increases significantly in people whose HDL
levels decrease. Elevated LDL cholesterol is not a cause of heart
The Amazing Liver Cleanse
33
disease; rather, it is a consequence of an unbalanced liver and
congested, dehydrated circulatory system.
If your doctor has told you that lowering your cholesterol with
medical drugs protects you against heart attacks, you have been
grossly misled. The #1 prescribed cholesterol-lowering medicine is
Lipitor. I suggest that you read the following warning statement,
issued on the official Lipitor web site:
“LIPITOR (atorvastatin calcium) tablets is a prescription drug
used with diet to lower cholesterol. LIPITOR is not for everyone,
including those with liver disease or possible liver problems, and
women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant.
LIPITOR has not been shown to prevent heart disease or heart
attacks.
“If you take LIPITOR, tell your doctor about any unusual muscle
pain or weakness. This could be a sign of serious side effects. It is
important to tell your doctor about any medications you are currently
taking to avoid possible serious drug interactions…”
My question is, “Why risk a person’s health or life by giving
him/her a drug that has no effect, whatsoever, in preventing the
problem for which it is being prescribed?” The reason why the
lowering of cholesterol levels cannot prevent heart disease is because
cholesterol does not cause heart disease.
The most important issue is how efficiently a person’s body uses
cholesterol and other fats. The body’s ability to digest, process and
utilize these fats depends on how clear and unobstructed the bile ducts
of the liver are. When bile flow is unrestricted and balanced, both the
LDL and HDL levels are balanced as well. Therefore, keeping the bile
ducts open is the best prevention of coronary heart disease.