Cholesterol is not equivalent to death or disease. On the contrary, cholesterol is a life-giving substance, a waxy steroid responsible for all the membranes that encase human cells. That’s something to wax poetic about, especially because it also manufactures the body’s vitamins and hormones including estrogen, testosterone and adrenaline.
But hypercholesterolemia or high cholesterol is a nefarious thing. It indicates excessive levels of bad cholesterol or low-density lipoproteins (LDL), whose plaques can constrict the arteries and result in angina, stroke or cardiac arrest.
Quite apart from anyone, those prone to high cholesterol are keen eaters of food rich in saturated fat like dairy goods with butterfat, processed meat, deep fried food, coconut oil, vegetable oil and junk foods. Susceptibility to high cholesterol tends to increase too with heavier weight and lesser physical activity.
Just as clear-cut are the demographics for high cholesterol-prone people. Old people in general are vulnerable, especially men.
Other people attribute their high cholesterol more to heredity than diet. They have inherited familial hypercholesterolemia, wherein the liver does not expel cholesterol and lets it accumulate in the arteries. Albeit relatively rare, this condition puts sufferers at risk of heart disease at a younger age.
Often, people do not know they have high cholesterol because there are no symptoms. The US National Cholesterol Education Program suggests a simple blood test every five years or so to check blood cholesterol levels. Ideally, no adult must have a total cholesterol level above 200 mg/dL, or an LDL level above 100 mg/dL.
Once diagnosed with high cholesterol, the nutritionist may prescribe sweeping changes in the diet, one that ditches saturated and trans fats for monounsaturated fats, fruits, nuts and vegetables. Similarly, it also means exercising for 30 minutes a day. If medication is essential, doctors prescribe statins, fibrates, bile acid sequestrants, and prescription niacin.
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