By pjetimages on November 17th, 2009

High Cholesterol Facts and Information

High cholesterol can cause blockage in your bloodstream, leading to coronary heart disease, which may lead to a heart attack and even death. Lowering your overall cholesterol levels will lower your overall risk.

Identification

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that circulates in the blood. There are two types of cholesterol carriers, high-density lipoproteins and low-density lipoproteins. High-density lipoproteins help lower overall blood-cholesterol levels by transporting excess cholesterol into the liver. The liver either breaks down the cholesterol or sends it into the Excretory System for external disposal. Low-density lipoproteins transport cholesterol to the cell. In excess, they can over-deposit cholesterol, causing blockages over time.

Purpose of Cholesterol

Cholesterol, despite its unhealthy reputation, is a necessary component to maintain cell membranes, to help produce Vitamin D, and to help make the acids in bile to help digest fat.

High Cholesterol Symptoms

High cholesterol doesn’t have any symptoms, and can only be diagnosed though a blood test.

Causes

High blood cholesterol has two main points of origin, hereditary and diet. Heredity factors include how fast your body produces LDL cholesterol and how fast it breaks it down. Dietary factors include a diet high in saturated fats and cholesterol. Other possible causes of high cholesterol are liver or kidney disease, lack of physical activity, age (cholesterol levels increase after age 50 in both men and women), and even stress.

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Treatments

High cholesterol has several different combinations of treatments, and a doctor should be consulted before any treatments are begun. Exercise and eating a healthy diet is one way to lower your overall cholesterol levels, but if it doesn’t work, then your doctor may prescribe medication.

One group of medications, the most commonly prescribed, are called statins. Statins block your liver from producing cholesterol, forcing it to strip the needed component from your bloodstream, lowering cholesterol levels.

Another group lowers the bile acids used in digestion, forcing the liver to make more of them from the cholesterol in your blood, thereby reducing cholesterol levels.

A third medication that inhibits cholesterol absorption, prevents the small intestine from releasing cholesterol into the bloodstream, and it passes out of the body with the rest of the solid waste.

Home Remedies

The primary home remedy to high cholesterol is eliminating foods with high cholesterol, saturated fats, and trans fats from your diet. Introducing a regular exercise routine also will help lower cholesterol. Eating whole grains, fruits and vegetables high in fiber, and substituting cod, tuna or salmon for beef. Also, quitting smoking can improve your HDL levels, allowing your body to dispose of cholesterol naturally.

REFERENCES

“High Cholesterol Causes”; Emedicinehealth.com

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/high_cholesterol/page2_em.htm

“What is Cholesterol?”; MedicineNet.com.

http://www.medicinenet.com/cholesterol/article.htm

“Low-density lipoprotein”; Wikipedia.org.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LDL

“High-density lipoprotein”; Wikipedia.org.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-density_lipoprotein

“Treatment and Drugs”; MayoClinic.com

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-cholesterol/DS00178/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs

“Lifestyle and Home Remedies”; MayoClinic.com