Cholesterol builds up in the inner walls of blood vessels for years, making it difficult for the heart to function properly and leading to a heart attack. What is cholesterol and why should we make sure that its level is not elevated?

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Elevated cholesterol(otherwise known as hypercholesterolaemia) is over 70 percent. adult Poles, but only every third of them cares about reducing this number. Meanwhile, disorders of fat (lipid) metabolism are the second risk factor for heart attacks after hypertension, the cause of almost half of all deaths in our country.

It is known that if the blood cholesterol level is over 239 mg / dL, the risk of a fatal heart attack is twice as high as if the cholesterol level is below 200 mg / dL. When it exceeds 280 mg / dl - it increases fourfold.

Do you want to live a long life in good shape? You have to take care of your cholesterol. The most important thing is a he althy lifestyle and systematic monitoring of the level of this substance in the blood. This is very important because as soon as it slightly exceeds a safe limit, it can be quickly brought back to normal. The most effective way isdietandphysical activity . Sometimes you also need to takemedications .

Cholesterol - what exactly is it?

Cholesterol is an organic fatty substance (lipid) that performs many useful functions in the body. It is part of the membranes of most cells, participates in the production of certain hormones (e.g. sex) and in the synthesis of bile acids. It is involved in the production of vitamin D and plays an important role in the work of the brain.

It is not harmful in itself, only its excess becomes dangerous.For the proper functioning of all organs, enough cholesterol is enough, as the body produces itself (endogenous cholesterol), mainly in the liver .

Endogenous cholesterol accounts for 80 percent. total cholesterol, 20 percent. we fund ourselves with food (exogenous cholesterol). Remember that cholesterol is found only in animal products - in addition, they contain saturated fatty acids from which the liver produces cholesterol. And it is dietary cholesterol that inflates our total levelscholesterol in the blood.

Good and bad cholesterol

Cholesterol, like other fats, does not dissolve in water. Therefore, it circulates in the blood in conjunction with proteins produced by the liver to form complex compounds -lipoprotein . They are in the form of tiny fat globules surrounded by proteins. Their particles differ in the proportion of cholesterol and proteins.

Depending on the type of lipoprotein in which cholesterol is transferred, two fractions of it are distinguished:

  • HDL (good),
  • LDL (bad).

LDL lipoproteins(Englishlow density lipoproteins ) have a lot of low-density cholesterol in a thin protein shell, through which they easily penetrate into bloodstream contributing to the development of atherosclerosis. The less it is in the blood, the better it is for the heart and brain.

HDL(Eng.high density lipoproteins ) contains more protein and less cholesterol than LDL particles, but with high density. Good cholesterol, which we have little, also penetrates the walls of the arteries, but it does not accumulate in them, but it collects some of the cholesterol in them and transports it back to the liver. There it combines with proteins to form lipoproteins, or it is converted into bile acids and then excreted from the body. HDL cholesterol lowers the level of bad cholesterol in the blood. The more of it in the blood, the lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

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Increased cholesterol - what does it mean?

The body protects itself against too much cholesterol by expelling it outside. However, a significant proportion, proportional to its excess, gradually builds up in the inner walls of blood vessels in the form ofplaques . The arteries become less flexible, brittle, and constricted, making it difficult for blood to flow to the cells, so less oxygen and nutrients reach them. Eventually, ischemic heart disease (coronary artery) develops and / or the brain's performance decreases.

When atherosclerotic plaque closes one or more vessels in the heart, it causes aheart attack , and obstruction of one of the arteries supplying the brainleads tostroke . If the vessel that supplies blood to the brain ruptures, it causes a hemorrhagic stroke (stroke).

Atherosclerotic changes can take place throughout the body, leading, for example, to ischemia of the legs, damage to the retina, kidney failure. To prevent this from happening, you should try to lower the value of LDL cholesterol and increase HDL.

If elevated cholesterol is associated with overweight, diabetes, arterial hypertension, it is the result of hypothyroidism, anorexia, or kidney diseases, apart from "sticking" it, you need to treat the underlying disease.

See also:

  • Exercise to lower cholesterol

Cholesterol prevention from the cradle

Cholesterol should be taken care of as early as infancy.Reproducing cells need it the most, but a breastfed baby gets as much as its developing organism requires (300-400 mg daily). When enough cholesterol is circulating in your toddler's blood, the liver doesn't have to produce its own. If the baby does not get it with the mother's food, the body begins to produce it sooner.

As a result, the tendency to overproduce cholesterol may persist for life. In a two-year-old child, the liver physiologically produces cholesterol and from then on it must be limited in the diet. Between the ages of 2 and 18, blood cholesterol is120-140 mg / dL , then it rises by about 2.2 mg per year. In middle age, it reaches130-190 mg / dL .

The article was published in the monthly "Zdrowie"

Category:

Cardiology