Types of Cholesterol | Causes of High Cholesterol
Times are changing and so is the mindset of our society. Today we live in a society that is extra conscious towards their health and wellness. Hence moving towards a lifestyle that includes more herbal, homemade products rather than the ones made artificially. It is said that for a fit body we need to follow an active lifestyle. A lifestyle that includes a proper diet, a stress-free environment, and a healthy body. But the question is are we genuinely following an appropriate lifestyle?
On this note I would like to begin the topic of my today’s article and also would like to welcome you all to our blog Good Vibes Blog. A blog that is highly concerned about helping our readers and entertaining them with the information they want.
My today’s article is about Types of Cholesterol, causes of high Cholesterol. A health issue that acts as a major trigger for the beginning of cardiac ailments and other diseases. It even interferes with the blood flow of your body and can also damage your arteries which may further result in a stroke. So today in this article I’ll be talking about types and causes Cholesterol and everything you need to know about it.
⚫WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is present in all our body cells. Although not all cholesterol is bad density lipoprotein or HDL is actually good for your body. (will be talking about this further). It is said that our body needs cholesterol to form substances like hormones, vitamin D, and so on. A good amount of cholesterol is produced by our body itself but we can even obtain it from food products.
As I always say excess of everything is bad similarly excessive cholesterol can combine with other substances in the blood to form plaque. This plague sticks to the walls of your arteries. Further “This buildup of plaque is known as Atherosclerosis. It can cause Coronary Artery Disease, in which your coronary arteries become narrow or even blocked”.
⚫ Types of Cholesterol
HDL, LDL, VLDL are all lipoproteins. I used these terms in the above paragraph. These lipoproteins are basically a combination of fats(lipids) and proteins. Different types of lipoproteins have different purposes.
HDL- High-Density Lipoprotein. It is also known as good cholesterol. Its function is to carry cholesterol from other parts of our body and carries it to the liver and our liver further removes it from our body.
LDL- Low-Density Lipoprotein. It is basically termed bad cholesterol. If this Lipoprotein is present in excess then it can lead to the formation of plaque in our arteries.
VLDL- Very Low-Density Lipoprotein. Again it is known as bad cholesterol because it can lead to the formation of plaque. However, LDL and VLDL are different from each other. Because the former carries cholesterol and the latter triglycerides.
☘️ The ideal cholesterol levels
Overall cholesterol– *Under 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl)
HDL cholesterol- *Men: More than 40 mg/dl
*Women: More than 50 mg/dl
LDL cholesterol- *Otherwise healthy people: Less than 100 mg/dl
*People with heart disease or diabetes or poorly controlled risk factors: Less than 70 mg/dl
Triglycerides- *Less than 150 mg/dl
⚫CAUSES OF HIGH CHOLESTEROL
The reason why I have been mentioning a healthy lifestyle is that the most common cause of high cholesterol is an unhealthy lifestyle. Unhealthy lifestyle such as:-
🍀 Unhealthy eating habits. Eating food products with lots of fats. There are two types of fats. Saturated and trans fat. Saturated fat is found in products like meat, dairy products, chocolate, baked goods, etc. Trans fat is found in fried and processed food.
🍀lack of physical activity. When we sit for long hours and work less then there is a reduction in HDL.
🍀Smoking decreases the level of HDL.
🍀High cholesterol can also be a result of genetics. For example, familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is known as the inherited form of high cholesterol. Read Simple Ways to Live a Healthy Lifestyle
⚫HEALTH PROBLEMS CAUSED DUE TO HIGH CHOLESTEROL
- As I mentioned above high cholesterol can result in the formation of plaque in our arteries. It can further cause the formation of a blood clot on the surface of plaque and if it becomes larger then it can cause blockage of blood flow in a coronary artery.
- Further if there is a blockage in oxygen-rich blood flow to our heart muscles it can cause chest pain( angina) or a heart attack.
- Formation of plaque can also occur in other arteries of our body. Even in the arteries that bring oxygen-rich blood to our brain and limbs. This can lead to problems like carotid artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, and stroke. .
⚫DIAGNOSIS OF CHOLESTEROL LEVELS
To understand the causes of cholesterol, the doctor will diagnose level of different types of cholesterol based on blood tests, the patient’s medical and family history, and a physical exam.
The blood test is also known as lipid panel which is conducted to usually measure total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol. For this test, your doctor will ask you to fast for around 12 hours before the test. This means you are not allowed to eat or drink anything except water for 9 to 12 hours before your blood is drawn.
‘Your doctor may order other tests to help decide whether medicines are needed to lower your risk of heart and blood vessel diseases. These may include a coronary calcium scan and blood tests for levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and lipoprotein-a’.
Concluding it, I would like to say that a healthy lifestyle is a must. Apart from high cholesterol, there are several other diseases too. The times that we are going through demands that we should be internally strong to deal with foreign particles. And internally strong means a healthy lifestyle which includes a proper diet, timely exercises, stress-free environment and so on. This article includes information regarding types of cholesterol, Causes of high cholesterol. As for treatment and home remedies, there will be another article published. So stay tuned.
