Cholesterol Facts

Most people have known what cholesterol is and also what effects can be caused by it. It is often make people scary if they are having high level of blood cholesterol. Every movement will be made to decrease cholesterol’s high level in the blood, including consuming several drugs and also exercising. By knowing more about cholesterol and its effects for us may be we can more understand the way to make it is decreased. See on the following things to know more about cholesterol:

• Cholesterol is the main fat (lipid) in the blood. It blocks arteries, causing angina and heart attacks. It is the most important and powerful cardiovascular risk factor.
• The higher the cholesterol level, the higher the risk of coronary heart disease.
• The lower the cholesterol, the better, and the lower the risk of getting coronary heart disease and clogging in the brain and leg arteries.
• Most people in the UK and US have high cholesterol.
• People who have high cholesterol plus one or more other cardiovascular risk factors (smoking, having high blood pressure, being overweight, being stressed, having diabetes or a close family member who had coronary heart disease under 60 years of age), are at much greater risk than people who have only a high cholesterol level. The more risk factors a person has, the greater their risk of having coronary heart disease and heart attacks.
• A high cholesterol level also increases the risk of having a stroke (lack of blood supply and oxygen to the brain, causing paralysis of one side of the body and sometimes loss of speech).
• A high cholesterol level is most commonly due to a combination of eating a high fat diet and not taking enough exercise. Less commonly, it is due to a genetic problem.
• Thin people can have a high cholesterol level, and fat people may occasionally have a normal cholesterol level.
• There are two types of cholesterol: the “bad” LDL cholesterol, which causes fatty deposits in the arteries, and the “good” HDL cholesterol, which protects against fatty deposits.
• Cholesterol is in dairy foods, eggs, fast foods (pizza, hamburgers, fried chicken, french fries, and chips), cakes, cookies, chocolate, animal fats, ready-prepared foods, liver, sausage, and many other foods.
• People with normal heart arteries should have a cholesterol level less than 5 mmol/l, and the LDL cholesterol should be less than 3 mmol/l.
• Avoiding fat, drinking very little alcohol (no more than one unit per day or preferably less), being slim and getting regular, daily vigorous exercise will lower the cholesterol by 10–20%. Doing all of these things is more effective than doing only one.
• The target level of cholesterol for people with clogging in any artery and in those who have had a heart attack or have had angioplasty or heart bypass surgery is less than 4.0 mmol/l, and the LDL cholesterol should be less than 2.0 mmol/l.
• All types of alcohol increase cholesterol.
• “Low fat” labels on food are misleading. They contain more fat than you need or want.
• Statins are a group of drugs that lower the cholesterol level by approximately 30%. They reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke by 30%, and death by 20%. They are generally well tolerated and are more effective than diet in lowering the cholesterol level. Statins also reduce the likelihood of heart attacks and angina by reducing the inflammation in arteries and making the fatty deposits less dangerous.
• Statins are given to all people who have a blockage in any artery even if their cholesterol level is “normal” (<5.0). All patients who have had a heart attack, or have had angioplasty or heart bypass surgery, should be on a statin.
• Statins are also given to people with normal arteries if their risk of getting a heart attack or stroke is estimated to be more than 20% (based on charts). If a person with a high cholesterol is at low risk from getting a heart attack, she may not need a statin. Not all patients with high cholesterol need a statin.
• Other types of drugs lower cholesterol and other blood fats, which can be used with statins to lower the cholesterol and the triglycerides (another type of blood fat).
• There are no symptoms of high cholesterol. The only way to find out if your cholesterol is high is with a blood test.

Hopefully this information will help you a lot in handling your high level of blood cholesterol.