Wax and fatty type substances stick together and appear on every part of the cells. These substances are called cholesterol.
Then a question arises how these substances generate and stick on cells. Each food you eat generate fatty substances called cholesterol.
Another question arises these substances are good for health or not. Yes, these substances are essential when they are in limit. But when body produces out of limit substances it can be harmful for your body.
It has some functions:
- Vitamin D generation
- Digestion of food
- Hormones produced by body
As we discussed above it is good and bad for your health. So it is divided into two parts:
- HDL (High Density Lipoproteins) Or Good Cholesterol
- LDL (Low Density Lipoproteins) Or Bad Cholesterol
There can be various reasons of high cholesterol like change in lifestyle, Diet or exercise and body does not show any symptoms in case of high cholesterol.
HDL Versus LDL
HDL is good for health because it clears fatty substances out of the body and reduce the chances of heart attack.
LDL is bad for health because it carries fatty substances to the body and chances of heart attack increase.
Calculation of Cholesterol
Triglycerides is another type of fat in blood that body generates. When you consume more calories than the requirement, extra calories are turned into Triglycerides.
Total Cholesterol= LDL+HDL+ (triglycerides/5)
Note: Cholesterol is measured in MG/DL (Milligram per Decilitre).
Normal range of cholesterol level depend on risks of heart diseases:
- Total Cholesterol level: <200 mg is good for health.
- HDL: <50mg is desirable.
- LDL: <130 mg is great for health.
- Triglycerides: <150 mg is good.
What are symptoms
There are not any symptoms that body generates whether a person has high fatty substances or not. Regular blood test can be a effective solution to know the range of fatty substances.
Fatty substances can be a vital reason for heart attacks. How fatty substances are reason of heart disease? When body has high extra cholesterol it stores them in arteries. This storage is called plaque. Plaque starts to become hard and arteries get narrow.
Due to large deposition of fatty substances flow of blood get blocked. This blockade leads to heart attack.
Test
This test is called lipid panel or lipid profile. Doctor will prescribe this test if you have one of the following factors or all:
- You are overweight
- Drink Alcohol
- Smoke Cigarettes
- Have a history of cholesterol or heart disease in your family
- Have diabetes, heart disease or thyroid.
What causes high cholesterol
High fatty substances is reason behind heart diseases. Liver produces fatty substances but food we intake is also responsible for generation of fatty substances. Reduction in food items helps in management of cholesterol level. Certain food items are:
- Pre Packaged Foods
- Butter
- Ghee
- Meat Products
- Fully fat items like cheese, milk, yogurt.
Treatment
After performing lipid panel or lipid profile test, doctor will subscribe you proper medicine depending on your age, health conditions etc.
But you can also do something to minimize your cholesterol level. If you are overweight, do some exercise or workout regularly to reduce high cholesterol. Quit smoking, alcohol is also beneficial.