What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy, fatlike substance that is naturally present in cell walls or membranes everywhere in the body. Your body uses cholesterol to produce many hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat.
What causes high cholesterol?
The most common causes of high cholesterol are all related and include a high fat diet, inactivity, and obesity. Less commonly, genetic causes can decrease the ability of the body to metabolize cholesterol or cause the liver to produce too much cholesterol.
What are the symptoms of high cholesterol?
High cholesterol does not cause symptoms by itself. Instead, it is a risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis or narrowing of arteries in the body that can lead to hear attack, stroke, or peripheral artery disease. Blood tests are used to measure cholesterol levels as part of routine screening for risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
How often should I have my cholesterol checked?
Your blood cholesterol levels should be checked every 5 years after the age of 20. If cholesterol levels are high (usually over 200 mg dL), people are often started on medicine to reduce the cholesterol and are usually advised to begin a low-cholesterol diet. Then the cholesterol levels are usually checked about every three months to see if the levels normalize. Once the levels normalize, they are often rechecked at least once per year by many health care practitioners.
What can I do to prevent high cholesterol?
Controlling high cholesterol is a lifelong commitment. Important first steps include eating a healthy diet low in saturated fats, routine exercise, weight loss, and avoiding or quitting smoking. If these actions fail to lower cholesterol levels (below 200 mg dL), most physicians will recommend a medication to lower cholesterol.
What can I do to lower my cholesterol levels?
You can lower your cholesterol levels by making changes to your lifestyle. Here are some tips.
- Eat foods with less fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
- Take off the skin and fat from meat, poultry, and fish.
- Broil, bake, roast, or poach instead of frying foods.
- Eat lots of fruits and vegetables everyday.
- Eat lots of cereals, breads, rice, and pasta made from whole grains, such as whole wheat bread or spaghetti.
- Get lots of exercise everyday. Talk to your doctor about what are the safest and best ways for you to exercise.
- Lose weight if you are overweight.
- Stop smoking.
- Take your high blood cholesterol medication as prescribed by your doctor.
What’s the difference between “good” and “bad” cholesterol?
HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol is known as good cholesterol. HDL takes the bad cholesterol out of your blood and keeps it from building up in your arteries. LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol is known as bad cholesterol because it can build up on the walls of your arteries and increase your chances of getting cardiovascular disease. When being tested for high cholesterol, you want a high HDL number and a low LDL number.
What kinds of problems are caused by high cholesterol?
- High cholesterol may cause hardening of the arteries, which can lead to narrowed coronary arteries to the heart and chest pain (angina) or heart attack.
- Narrowed carotid arteries that supply blood to the brain may cause a stroke.
- Narrowed arteries to the legs can cause pain with walking which is a symptom of peripheral artery disease.
When would a doctor prescribe a medication to lower cholesterol?
The main goal of a treatment program is to lower total cholesterol levels, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels. Treatment may cause a slight rise in HDL or good cholesterol in the blood.
There are two main ways to control cholesterol;
- Lifestyle changes, and
- Medication.
Medications may be prescribed by a health care practitioner if attempts at lifestyle changes fail to make a difference in cholesterol levels (usual goal is to be under 200 mg dL). A variety of medication options are available and the decision as to which medication to use depends upon the individual situation and other medical conditions that might be present. Usually, the health care practitioner and patient will discuss options and decide together upon the treatment options.
