Cholesterol

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fat in the body used to produce hormones, vitamins and bile acids for digestion process, mainly classified in two i.e. high and low cholesterol. An increase in cholesterol level can cause blockage in arteries and in the heart, restraining the flow of blood. This can lead to cause heart attack or brain strokes.

Low levels of cholesterol can have a negative impact on your brain functions such as increased anxiety. Low cholesterol diet and regular exercise help in maintaining and lowering cholesterol naturally.

Causes of high cholesterol involve genetics where a member of the family having history of high cholesterol passes the risk to younger ones.

Consumption of high fat diet like beef, milk, egg, butter and low physical activity contributes to put you at an increased risk of cholesterol.

These habits can make you overweight, which in turn increases the risk of blood pressure and heart attacks.

Other causes for high cholesterol are alcohol and tobacco, which directly affect the blood supply to the liver and heart.

There are less visible symptoms of high cholesterol which are hard to diagnose in early stages.

One of the symptoms for high cholesterol could be checked by a simple blood test showing a block in the artery carrying blood; this blockage is meant by the deposition of high amount of cholesterol, ultimately resulting in heart attack and blood pressure.

This blockage not only restrains the blood supply but also required oxygen to heart as well as brain causing stroke. Many times stress in daily life also increases cholesterol at an alarming level, which needs to be supervised.

Types of Cholesterol

High and low density lipoproteins are different cholesterols types travelling in the bloodstream with other substances.

Low density lipoprotein is considered as bad cholesterol, transporting maximum amount of cholesterol by blood and depositing it in arteries creating high risk of coronary heart diseases.

High density lipoprotein is good cholesterol which carries back the cholesterol from body tissues to liver but the amount is very less, hence high cholesterol medications are advised to boost up liver functioning.

In order to maintain the level of both types of cholesterols patient has to undergo medical checkup at regular intervals.

This preventive step itself is a treatment. Eat low cholesterol diet, avoid fast food and have plenty of green vegetables in your daily meals, drink plenty of water each day. Stress management, calming exercises and meditation can help control, and keep cholesterol levels in check.