High cholesterol is a condition that occurs when cholesterol levels in your blood are high enough to cause health problems such as heart disease.
An elevated level of bad cholesterol is influenced by genetics, diet, obesity, poor physical activity and other factors. At the same time, it can also occur as a result of another disease: diabetes, hypothyroidism, obstructive liver disease, kidney damage, and the like.
Cholesterol is a thick, fatty substance in every cell of your body. Produced in the liver, cholesterol is essential for many life-sustaining functions. It helps the body make hormones and vitamin D, and it's also found in compounds - such as bile - that your body makes to help you digest food. Cholesterol circulates through the bloodstream in small bundles called lipoproteins. The interior of these bundles consists of fat, while proteins make up the outer wall.
There are two main categories of cholesterol in the blood:
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL): Considered the "bad" form of cholesterol, LDL allows cholesterol to form deposits (plaques) that build up and harden on the walls of blood vessels - a condition called atherosclerosis (commonly known as "hardening of the arteries")).
When this happens in the coronary arteries (the arteries that serve your heart), the supply of oxygen-rich blood is reduced. This serious condition, called coronary artery disease, can cause a heart attack and even death.
Plaque can form on the arteries that supply blood to the brain, abdomen, arms, and legs, leading to an increased risk of stroke, bowel damage, and peripheral artery disease.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL): HDL is the "good" type of cholesterol because it helps lower LDL levels.
The role of HDL is to transport LDL cholesterol to the liver, which removes it from the blood.
What are triglycerides and why are they important?
Triglycerides are another form of fat in the blood similar to cholesterol. High triglycerides increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart attack. Creating a healthy lifestyle can go a long way toward controlling triglyceride levels.
Some people, however, have an inherited genetic condition called hypertriglyceridemia, which causes high triglycerides.
Cholesterol Facts and Statistics
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 73,5 million adults in the United States — 31,7 percent of the population — have high levels of LDL cholesterol.
Less than half (48,1 percent) of adults with high LDL cholesterol receive treatment to lower it.
High cholesterol becomes more common as people age. Decade after decade, cholesterol rises:
In their twenties, 22 percent of people have high cholesterol.
In their thirties, 38 percent of people have high cholesterol.
In their forties, 50 percent of people have high cholesterol.
In their fifties, 62 percent of people have high cholesterol.
If the situation is not alarming, the reduction of bad cholesterol is always first tried to be solved by proper nutrition. It is advised to avoid pork and foods rich in saturated fats, which are responsible for the occurrence of coronary diseases.
We recommend fish, chicken and turkey without the skin, and mandatory introduction of physical activity.
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