Many people in society today suffer high cholesterol without having any symptoms of high cholesterol. You may want to know how it can affect you so read on…
Background
Cholesterol is a natural fat compound that moves through our veins. In itself, it isn’t a problem as we need it for various bodily functions. However when levels begin to rise above what our bodies can cope with, it starts to behave in a negative way. It has been likened to plaque on the teeth, but instead of teeth the Cholesterol thickens and attaches to the arteries. This will slowly start to make moving blood around the body much more difficult. Once this has happened many of the heart diseases that are common in society are more likely to start to occur.
Signs of the disease
Sadly there are almost apparent symptoms of high cholesterol – it is called the silent killer. The only way to diagnose it is through blood testing. In some rare instances there may be white rings around the iris of the eye. Gallstones because they are linked with diets high in fat are sometimes called pseudo symptoms of high cholesterol.
Blood Tests
As cholesterol can only be identified via blood testing this process is the only reliable diagnosis tool. Blood tests done in conjunction with fasting beforehand provide the more accurate results. There are two types of cholesterol that are measured in the tests. HDL is considered a good cholesterol as it moves the bad cholesterol LDL back to the liver where it can be neutralised.
Methods of treatment
The most immediate high cholesterol is for the patient to improve eating habits and way of life. By improving eating habits cholesterol can be reduced. This involves reducing the amount of saturated fats (usually sourced from meat, dairy etc) and increasing the levels of cereals, fruit and fibre.
Healthy living improvements such as reducing smoking, increasing exercise regularity, reducing weight and alcohol intake, combined with diet changes can have a beneficial impact on levels of cholesterol and of course on your health in general.
If lifestyle and diet changes are not effective enough, cholesterol lowering medications may be prescribed. Usually this step will not be taken for three to six months to allow lifestyle changes to take affect. Medications fall into two camps, statins and non statins. Statins have been found to be the most effective in lowering high cholesterol. However non-statin drugs are used when the risk of side effects are an issue.
So while the symptoms of high cholesterol may be non-existent, finding out if you have high cholesterol is a simple process. Treating it may require life changes, but it is possible to treat.
Visit the Cholesterol Scoop for more information on Cholesterol Level Too Low.
Article Source: U Publish Articles
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