Cholesterol is a naturally occurring substance in the body. It is a healthy part of the outer portion of every living cell in the body. It is a fatty substance that has wax-like properties. Our bodies naturally make cholesterol and we eat it in foods. Whether or not your body makes too much cholesterol depends on your genetic make-up. Even if you eat very little cholesterol in foods, it's still possible for your body to make too much, which can lead to heart disease.
What Happens When There's Too Much
When there is too much cholesterol in the blood, either from diet or genetics, it builds up and causes life-threatening illnesses. Cholesterol floats in the blood and travels through the blood vessels that deliver nutrients to every part of the body, including the vessels that supply the heart. When the cholesterol is too high, it collects in these blood vessels over time, which can lead to the development of heart disease.
How High Cholesterol Leads to Coronary Heart Disease
A buildup of cholesterol in the blood vessels can block the flow of blood either partially or completely causing a heart attack. Coronary heart disease happens when cholesterol builds up in the arteries and prevents the heart from getting the nutrients it needs from blood. This can cause a specific type of chest pain known as angina. Cholesterol buildup also contributes to atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. This is a build up of plaque which can rupture, move through the arteries and completely block it with no warning.
How Much is Too Much
Eating more than 300 mg of cholesterol each day is considered to be too much. A total blood cholesterol of more than 200mg/dL is too high. This total cholesterol level includes good and bad cholesterol. The good cholesterol is HDL or high density lipoprotein and should be over 40 mg/dL. The bad cholesterol is called LDL or low density lipoprotein. Since HDL is good for you, there's no such thing as too much.
Cholesterol and Stroke
A cholesterol level over 200 mg/dL can lead to stroke which can be fatal and/or debilitating causing an inability to speak or move one side of the body. A buildup of plaque in the blood vessels can rupture and lead to a TIA or ministroke, where the victim has stroke symptoms for only a day or less. These symptoms include slurred speech and inability to move body parts on one side.
More Reading:
Cholesterol and Erectile Dysfunction
Eating Shellfish and Crab When You Have High Cholesterol
List of 50 Foods to Lower Cholesterol
0 comments:
Post a Comment