What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is an important constituent of our body's cell membrane. It is an oil based substance which travels in the body through lipoproteins.
Cholesterol can be good or bad. When it is high, cholesterol is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and can cause heart attack.
Cholesterol is fat-like in appearance. It is produced by the body and can also be consumed in food. It is essential for:
- Building component of cell structure
- Producing hormones
- Vitamin D production
- Food digestion
Two types of lipoproteins carry cholesterol:
1. Low density lipoproteins (LDL) which carries "BAD" cholesterol
2. High density lipoproteins (HDL) carries "GOOD" cholesterol.
*Lipoproteins are molecules that transport fats in extracellular fluids.
Risk factors for high cholesterol
- Family history
- Life style choices; diet
- Sedentary life style
Causes of high cholesterol
- Consumption of food high in:
a. Cholesterol such as animal fat, meat, cheese
b. Saturated fats in diary products, fried foods, certain processed food.
c. Saturated fats present in some baked foods, deep fried foods, processed foods etc
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- liver or kidney disease
- Pregnancy or conditions that increases female hormones
- Certain drugs that lowers HDL and increase LDL
How do I feel when cholesterol is high?
High cholesterol is one of the causes of :
- "He just slumped and died"
- "Sudden death"
In other words, one can be living with a very high blood cholesterol without knowing until he/she develops complications and visits the hospital. In the event of high cholesterol, plagues deposit in the wall of arteries and cause narrowing of the walls which in turn reduced blood flow, causing artherosclerosis and other complications such as
-stroke
-heart attack
-death
So, frequent blood test (lipid profile in this case) will help detect high cholesterol and of course prevent this risk.
How do I control high cholesterol?
The first major way is prevention, to prevent is to eat healthy. So most of the things we eat and call enjoyment are "killer mates".
In the event of high cholesterol, life style modifications such as diet and exercise will help a lot. If this fails your doctor can prescribe medications such as statin to lower the cholesterol levelq.
Food(s) that help reduce and maintain cholesterol are:
- Nuts: cashew, groundnut, walnut etc
- Vegetable oil
- Soy
- Beans
- Vegetables: okra, eggplant
- Oats
- Fibre rich foods: wheat
- Fruit like apples, grapes, strawberries
- Whole grains: corn, barely, millet
In all, maintaining a healthy weight and avoids habits such as smoking eiwi help a great deal.
Normal values for cholesterol are:
Total cholesterol------- <200mg/dl
HDL-------------------------- 40-80mg/dl
LDL--------------------------- 50-150mg/dl
