In human body, cholesterol is naturally produced by the body. It has important natural functions including digesting food, producing hormones and generating vitamin. Cholesterol is generally referred as waxy substance with fat-like appearance. And it can be both good and bad. At normal level they are an essential substance which is essential for the common functionalities. However, if its concentration in blood increases, it can become dangerous and can lead to many deadly diseases.
Usually, the cholesterol present in human body is of two types
- Low-density lipoproteins or LDL, or bad cholesterol
- High-density lipoproteins or HDL, or good cholesterol
What causes high cholesterol?
There can be number of factors which increases the cholesterol level in human body. In most of cases, the cholesterol formed by body doesn’t affect balance but the one consumed by people in form of food products majorly influences the cholesterol level. Some of the major reasons responsible for increased cholesterol levels are
- Genetics
There are high chances one might suffer from high cholesterol issues because of the family medical history. However, it can be controlled with modern medication
- Diet
Diets high in cholesterol and saturated fats can increase blood cholesterol level. Controlling and monitoring the nutrients and vitamins of food can result in controlled high cholesterol level.
- Obesity and inactive lifestyle
In majority of cases, increased weight of the person is the major reason behind increased cholesterol level. An inactive lifestyle with no-proper exercise and consumption of processed food often deteriorates the health and can lead to various issues.
How high cholesterol level increases the risk level?
High cholesterol level is said to be the major factor which leads to number of deadly diseases. Some of which are:
- Coronary heart disease or CHD
The increased level of cholesterol can increase the chances of getting heart disease. High cholesterol level often builds up on the wall of arteries and narrows down them. Hence resulting in improper blood flow or blocked blood vessels and thus causing heart attack.
- Peripheral arterial disease or PAD
High cholesterol is also linked with PAD, is a disease related to blood vessels which are outside the heart and brain. The fat starts depositing on the artery wall and thus starts affecting blood circulation especially to legs and feet’s. Moreover, high cholesterol level can also affect the arteries of kidney.
- Type 2 diabetes
It is another disease which has been linked with high cholesterol level in human body. Diabetes can affect different cholesterol level, people with diabetes often have increased triglycerides and decreased HDL and increased LDL (in some cases). Hence, increases the risk of developing atherosclerosis.
- High blood pressure
High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels have interlinked medical condition. When the arteries become hardened or narrowed due to deposition of cholesterol, the heart has to strain harder than normal to pump the blood and as a result of the blood pressure level of the individual increases abnormally.
Change in lifestyle, consumption of healthy foods and proper exercise along with proper medication can help in normalizing the high cholesterol level while improving the overall health condition.
