Cholesterol is a kind of waxy, fat-like stuff that’s in all the cells of your body. It’s important because your body uses it to make things like hormones, vitamin D, and stuff that helps you digest food. Your body already makes enough cholesterol on its own. Plus, you get it from food like egg yolks, meat, and cheese.
If you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it can mix with other things in there and make something called plaque. When stuff called plaque attaches to the inside walls of your blood pipes. When this plaque piles up, it’s called atherosclerosis. This can make your blood vessels narrow or even block them, which is not good. It can lead to a disease called coronary artery disease and that can cause big problems for your heart.
What Causes High cholesterol?
The biggest reason for high cholesterol is unhealthy habits. This can be things like:
- Eating stuff that’s not good for you, like too much bad fats. There are fats in some meats, butter, cheese, chocolate, and fried and packaged foods. These fats can make your “bad” cholesterol (LDL) go up.
- Not moving around enough and not getting enough exercise. This makes your “good” cholesterol (HDL) go down.
- Smoking is another thing. It lowers your (HDL), especially for ladies. It also makes your (LDL) go up.
Sometimes, it’s in your genes. This means your family history can make your cholesterol high. For example, there’s something called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), and it runs in families. Other things like health problems and certain medicines can also make your cholesterol high.
What Can Raise My Risk of High Cholesterol?
There are different things that can make your cholesterol go up:
- Age: As you get older, your cholesterol might go up. Even young people, including kids and teens, can have high levels sometimes.
- Family: If your family has a history of high cholesterol, you might be at risk too.
- Weight: If you’re overweight or obese, your cholesterol could be higher.
- Race: Some races might have a higher chance of high cholesterol. Like, African Americans usually have higher levels compared to white folks.
What Can Happen If My Cholesterol Is High?
When you have too much plaque in your blood vessels, it can crack open and make a blood clot. If this clot gets big, it can block your blood flow in an artery near your heart.
When your heart doesn’t get enough blood with oxygen, you might feel chest pain (angina) or even have a heart attack.
Plaque can also build up in other blood vessels like the ones going to your brain and limbs. This can cause problems like carotid artery disease, stroke, or issues with your legs.
How Do Doctors Check for High Cholesterol?
Usually, there aren’t any signs that show if you have high cholesterol. Doctors use a blood test to measure your cholesterol level. When and how often you need this test depends on how old you are, your risk factors, and your family history. Here’s when most people should get the test:
For those aged 19 or younger:
- First test between ages 9 to 11.
- Then every 5 years.
- Some kids might start at age 2 if their family has a history of high cholesterol, heart attack, or stroke.
For those aged 20 or older:
- Young adults should get the test every 5 years.
- Men between 45 to 65 and women between 55 to 65 should get it every 1 to 2 years.
How Can I Make My Cholesterol Better?
You can make your cholesterol better by making healthy changes in your life. These are some things you can do:
- Keep a healthy weight.
- Get regular exercise.
- Choose foods that help your heart stay strong and healthy.
If these changes don’t help enough, you might need to take medicines too. There are different kinds of medicines that can help lower your cholesterol, like statins. Even if you take medicines, it’s still important to keep up with the healthy changes.
Some people with a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) might need special treatment. They might have something called lipoprotein apheresis. It’s a treatment that cleans the LDL cholesterol from their blood using a machine. Then the clean blood goes back into their body.
Tips for Changing Your Lifestyle to Lower Cholesterol:
Making some changes in your daily habits can help lower your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Here are some ideas:
- Cut Down on Alcohol: If you drink, try to have just one or two drinks a day. Avoid drinking too much at once. This might help lower your triglycerides.
- Quit Smoking: It’s best to stop smoking. Smoking makes the bad cholesterol (LDL) hurt your arteries more.
- Stay Active: Try to exercise often, like walking briskly for at least 30 minutes every day. Exercise boosts the good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers the bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides.
- Lose Extra Weight: If you’re carrying extra weight, losing it can help bring down your triglycerides and LDL levels.
- Keep Blood Sugar in Check: If you have diabetes, make sure your blood sugar stays in a healthy range. High blood sugar can make your risk of heart problems higher.
Eating Right to Lower Cholesterol:
A good diet and healthy habits can slowly bring down your cholesterol levels. Here’s what you can do:
- Eat More Good Stuff: Have more fresh fruits, veggies, and whole grains every day.
- Pick Healthy Dairy: Choose milk, yogurt, and other dairy that’s low in fat. If you have high cholesterol, go for reduced fat options.
- Protein Picks: Eat healthy proteins like lean meat, chicken, seafood, beans, nuts, and seeds. Try to eat less red meat, like beef, and have it just a few times a week.
- Fatty Fish: Have fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel twice a week. They’re good for you.
- Choose Good Fats: Go for healthy fats from nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, and cooking oils.
- Flavor with Herbs and Spices: Use herbs and spices to make your food tasty, instead of adding too much salt.
Medications:
A few folks are born with a higher chance of having too much cholesterol in their blood. If you’re one of these people, you might need to take medicine along with eating healthy to lower your cholesterol.
Staying healthy with good habits is the first step to fight high cholesterol. But sometimes, even if you eat well and stay active, it might not be enough. You might need to take special medicines for your cholesterol to help:
- Lower your “bad” cholesterol (LDL) that can cause heart problems.
- Lower your triglycerides, a type of fat in your blood that’s not good for your heart.
- Raise your “good” cholesterol (HDL) that helps protect your heart.
Your doctor might suggest one medicine or a mix of different ones to help with your cholesterol.
“Statins”
Statins are a class of drugs that work by blocking the production of cholesterol in the liver.
“Bile Acid Sequestrants”
Bile acid sequestrants work by binding to bile acids in the digestive tract, which are made from cholesterol, and preventing them from being reabsorbed into the bloodstream.
“Niacin”
Niacin is a B-vitamin that has been shown to raise HDL levels and lower LDL levels.
“Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors”
Absorption inhibitors work by blocking the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine.
Conclusion:(LDL) is an important step in reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. By making dietary changes, incorporating regular exercise, and in some cases, taking medications, you can effectively lower your cholesterol levels and improve your heart health. Talk to your doctor to determine the best plan for you to lower your cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
