CHOLESTEROL
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol
is a waxy, fat-like substance that's found in all the cells in your body. Your
body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that
help you digest foods. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs.
Cholesterol is also found in foods from animal sources, such as egg yolks,
meat, and cheese.
Total cholesterol levels less than 200 milligrams per decilitre (mg/dL) are
considered desirable for adults. A reading between 200 and 239 mg/dL is
considered borderline high and a reading of 240 mg/dL and above is considered
high. LDL cholesterol levels should be less than 100 mg/dL.
If you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it
can combine with other substances in the blood to form plaque. Plaque sticks to
the walls of your arteries. This build up of plaque is known as atherosclerosis. It can
lead to coronary
artery disease, where your coronary arteries become narrow or even
blocked.
What are HDL, LDL, and VLDL?
HDL, LDL,
and VLDL are lipoproteins. They are a combination of fat (lipid) and protein.
The lipids need to be attached to the proteins so they can move through the
blood. Different types of lipoproteins have different purposes:
·
HDL stands for high-density
lipoprotein. It is sometimes called "good" cholesterol because it
carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. Your
liver then removes the cholesterol from your body.
·
LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein. It is
sometimes called "bad" cholesterol because a high LDL level leads to
the build up of plaque in your arteries.
·
VLDL stands for very low-density
lipoprotein. Some people also call VLDL “BAD” cholesterol because it too
contributes to the build up of plaque in your arteries. But VLDL and LDL are
different; VLDL mainly carries triglycerides and LDL
mainly carries cholesterol.
What causes high cholesterol?
The most
common cause of high cholesterol is an unhealthy lifestyle. This can include
·
Unhealthy eating habits, such as eating lots of bad
fats. One type, saturated fat, is found in some meats, dairy products, and
chocolate, baked goods, and deep-fried and processed foods. Another type, Trans
fat, is in some fried and processed foods. Eating these fats can raise your LDL
(bad) cholesterol.
·
Lack of physical activity, with lots of sitting and
little exercise. This lowers your HDL (good) cholesterol.
·
Smoking, which lowers HDL cholesterol, especially in
women? It also raises your LDL cholesterol.
Genetics
may also cause people to have high cholesterol. For example, familial
hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited form of high cholesterol. Other
medical conditions and certain medicines may also cause high cholesterol.
What can raise my risk of high
cholesterol?
A variety
of things can raise your risk for high cholesterol:
·
Age. Your cholesterol levels tend to rise as you get older. Even though
it is less common, younger people, including children and
teens, can also have high cholesterol.
·
Heredity. High blood cholesterol can run in families.
·
Weight. Being overweight or having obesity raises
your cholesterol level.
·
Race. Certain races may have an increased risk of
high cholesterol. For example, African Americans typically have higher HDL and
LDL cholesterol levels than whites.
What health problems can high
cholesterol cause?
If you have large deposits of plaque in your
arteries, an area of plaque can rupture (break open).
This can cause a blood clot to form on
the surface of the plaque.
If the clot becomes large enough, it can mostly or
completely block blood flow in a coronary artery.
If the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your heart
muscle is reduced or blocked, it can cause angina (chest pain)
or a heart attack.
Plaque also can build up in other arteries in your
body, including the arteries that bring oxygen-rich blood to your brain and
limbs.
This can
lead to problems such as carotid
artery disease, stroke,
and peripheral
arterial disease.
How is high cholesterol
diagnosed?
There are usually no signs or symptoms that you
have high cholesterol. There is a blood test to
measure your cholesterol level. When and how often you should get this test
depends on your age, risk factors, and family history. The general
recommendations are:
For people who are age 19
or younger:
·
The first
test should be between ages 9 to 11
·
Children
should have the test again every 5 years
·
Some
children may have this test starting at age 2 if there is a family history of
high blood cholesterol, heart attack, or stroke
For people who are age 20
or older:
·
Younger
adults should have the test every 5 years
·
Men ages
45 to 65 and women ages 55 to 65 should have it every 1 to 2 years
Recommended
levels
Healthy levels of
cholesterol don’t vary much for typical adults. Variation of recommended levels tends
to change due to other health conditions and considerations.
Cholesterol levels for
adults
- Total
cholesterol levels less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) are
considered desirable for adults. A reading between 200 and 239 mg/dL is
considered borderline high and a reading of 240 mg/dL and above is
considered high.
- LDL
cholesterol levels should be less than 100 mg/dL. Levels of 100 to 129
mg/dL are acceptable for people with no health issues but may be of more
concern for those with heart
disease or heart disease risk factors. A reading of 130 to
159 mg/dL is borderline high and 160 to 189 mg/dL is high. A reading of
190 mg/dL or higher is considered very high.
- HDL levels
should be kept higher. A reading of less than 40 mg/dL is considered a
major risk factor for heart disease. A reading from 41 mg/dL to 59 mg/dL
is considered borderline low. The optimal reading for HDL levels is of 60
mg/dL or higher.
Cholesterol levels for
children
By comparison, acceptable levels of total cholesterol
and LDL cholesterol in children are different.
- An
acceptable range of total cholesterol for a child is less than 170 mg/dL.
Borderline high total cholesterol for a child ranges from 170 to 199
mg/dL. Any reading of total cholesterol over 200 in a child is too high.
- A child’s
LDL cholesterol levels should also be lower than an adult’s. The optimal
range of LDL cholesterol for a child is less than 110 mg/dL. Borderline
high is from 110 to 129 mg/dL while high is over 130 mg/dL.
The best recommendation for children and adolescents
to keep cholesterol levels in check is living a healthful, active lifestyle.
This includes eating a healthful diet and getting plenty of exercise.
Sedentary, overweight children who eat a diet high in
processed foods are most likely to have high cholesterol. Children who have a
family history of high cholesterol may also be at risk.
Generally, the earlier an adult starts living a
healthful lifestyle, the better for their cholesterol levels. Cholesterol
levels build over time. A sudden change in lifestyle will help eventually, but
the older a person is, the less impact they will see in cholesterol levels.
All adults should stay active and maintain regular
exercise routines. Women going through menopause and adults with high levels of
cholesterol may want to consider medication that will help reduce cholesterol
levels more rapidly than diet alone.
High cholesterol at any age puts a person at risk for
heart disease, heart attack, and strokes. These risks only increase over time,
especially for adults who are not taking action to reduce their cholesterol
build up.