Cholesterol can be your friend and enemy at the same time. A definite amount of cholesterol is a necessity for proper bodily functions, whereas an excess of it may cause a lot of trouble, sometimes as bad as a heart attack. Cholesterol is a very common ingredient of the human body and can be found in each and every cell. Digesting food and producing hormones are some of the functions of cholesterol.

The major functions of cholesterol are as follows:

• It contributes in the structuring of cell walls
• It creates digestive bile acids in the intestine
• It lets the body create vitamin D
• It assists the body in making some hormones

LDL and HDL
Cholesterol is transferred in the blood in the form of proteins called lipoproteins. There are two types of lipoproteins.

• LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein): LDL cholesterol is also known as “bad cholesterol”, as an increase in its quantity can be disastrous to health. A rise in the levels of low-density lipoprotein results in the rise of cholesterol in the arteries.
• HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein): This one is known as good cholesterol, as it can protect you from some heart diseases.

High cholesterol is a very major and considerable threat for heart attacks. Minimizing the blood lipid amount may decrease cardiovascular risks. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) moves cholesterol into the liver for ejection from the body.

Causes of high cholesterol
The major reason for an increase in the level of cholesterol is the consumption of saturated fat, cholesterol, and trans fat. Other causes of high cholesterol level can be the following:

• Smoking: When they say smoking is injurious to health, they are not kidding. Smoking cigarettes can damage the blood vessels leading to plaque buildup.
• Not getting enough exercise: Exercising is very important, and the lack of it can cause many complications. A proper amount of exercise can keep the cholesterol level in check.
• Obesity: Excess body fat can lead to high cholesterol. If you’re obese, you should do something about it before it gets late.

High cholesterol symptoms
High cholesterol levels, don’t show any indications. Routine testing and regular blood tests are the ways to diagnose it.

How to reduce cholesterol levels
Reducing cholesterol levels is very important for a healthy life. The main way to do it is by changing your lifestyle. Some changes in lifestyle are recommended for people who have high cholesterol levels. These lifestyle changes can help reduce cholesterol levels.

• The diet you follow needs to be good for the heart. It should be low in fat. High LDL cholesterol treatment includes avoiding saturated fat completely. For example, high fiber vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
• Regular exercise is very important.
• Smoking should be avoided.
• A healthy weight should be achieved and maintained.
• Stay healthy and stay happy!

Cholesterol is a type of fat or lipid found in the blood. It’s manufactured by the liver and is a critical building block of cell walls, hormones, and digestive juices.

Increased levels of cholesterol lead to accumulations of it in the blood vessels and make it difficult for the blood to flow through the arteries. This results in a condition called atherosclerosis and may cause heart attacks when enough oxygen-rich blood fails to reach the heart.

A decreased blood flow to the brain due to atherosclerosis can cause a stroke. A high level of cholesterol can cause heart diseases and strokes. It leads to a high blood pressure and causes diabetes too.

Kinds of cholesterol
There are two kinds of cholesterol:
1.LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or œBad cholesterol is the one associated with increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes by causing atherosclerosis.
2. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) or œGood cholesterol helps in reducing the risks of heart attacks, heart diseases, and strokes.
High levels of LDL cholesterol doesn’t produce any symptoms as such. Adults are advised to get their levels tested at least once every five years. Lipid profile test or lipid panel test is the blood test associated with testing cholesterol levels.

Causes of high LDL
The most important cause for a high LDL cholesterol level in the blood is high amounts of saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol in the diet. A high level of LDL is common among people who are fat or obese.
Being overweight also reduces the HDL or good cholesterol level in the blood. Lack of physical activities also lowers good cholesterol or HDL level. Your age also plays a role as far the levels of cholesterol is concerned. The levels of LDL starts increasing once you cross 20 years of age.

Genetic factors can also cause cholesterol levels to go up. If your family members have a high cholesterol level, then you’ll most likely have it as well.

A large waist circumference is another cause. A waist circumference of 40 inches or more in men and 35 inches in women can increase cholesterol levels. A diabetic person tends to have a high LDL and low HDL. Smoking reduces the amount of HDL in your blood.

How to reduce cholesterol?
Proper diet and exercise play a key role in maintaining high levels of HDL cholesterol and lowering LDL cholesterol in your blood. Being active and doing regular exercise and at the same time eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and low-fat foods will increase HDL cholesterol and is used for high LDL cholesterol treatment. In addition to this, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking will reduce cholesterol levels further.
Many medicines are also available to lower LDL levels in the blood, though most of them also have some or the other kind of side effects. Taking medicines for reducing LDL levels is advisable only for considerably high levels of cholesterol in the blood and only under a doctor’s prescription.

Cholesterol is a chemical compound found in the bloodstreams of the human body. It is a waxy, fat-like substance that’s found in all cells of the body and is mostly composed of lipids and fats. The human body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help digest food. The food being consumed is also responsible for the levels of cholesterol in the body.

Common food products that contain cholesterol
The common food products such as milk, cheese, butter, eggs, meat and fish produce a high amount of cholesterol in the body. Even low-fat milk is said to have some content of cholesterol in it. Liver is the organ that handles the generation of these lipids.

Types of cholesterol
Two kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout your body: low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Having healthy levels of both types of lipoproteins is important.

• High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL): HDL cholesterol sometimes is called œgood cholesterol because it lowers the risk of a heart attack, strokes, and many other heart diseases.
  Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL): LDL cholesterol sometimes is called œbad cholesterol. A high LDL level leads to a buildup of cholesterol in your arteries making you prone to life-threatening ailments such as a heart attack, stroke and other heart ailments.

Factors that determine the levels of cholesterol
There are many factors that help determine the levels of cholesterol. It is advised to visit a doctor and get a proper check-up done to reduce the risk of high cholesterol. The factors include:

• Age and gender
• Whether you have a history of diabetes
• Whether you smoke
• The pressure in your blood

These factors become further dependent on the food habits of an individual. Many things affect your body’s level of cholesterol:

• The food that is being consumed: If an individual has a large intake of saturated and trans fat contents, it is likely to increase the cholesterol levels. Being overweight is another issue of concern as it lowers the ˜good’ cholesterol level in the body.
• Lack of physical activities and being inactive are other reasons why the levels of the high-density cholesterol drop.

How to treat cholesterol
One should get a cholesterol test done to find out their own levels of lipid accumulation in the body. Higher levels of cholesterol will block the oxygen flow in the blood, thus, cause severe heart diseases

• Regular exercise
• Eat a ‘heart-healthy diet
• Eat low-fat food items, say no to foods that contain a lot of saturated fat; eat a lot of fiber present in fruits and fruits, and whole grains
• Quit smoking cigarettes
• Get into a healthy shape by exercising for at least 30 minutes a day
• Focus and follow the mantra of the 3C’s- Check, Change, Control

Lipid Statin treatment
Statin treatment is the best treatment in the case of people with a heightened risk of heart attacks. Statins are a group of cholesterol-lowering drugs. A balanced diet and regular exercise can reduce cholesterol levels to a great extent.

Cholesterol, in a way, is very essential for all plant and animal life. But too much of anything is not good for the various bodily systems, including the component which is capable of synthesizing the essential structural component to maintain the membrane integrity and fluidity.

In simple terms, cholesterol is a necessary molecule for maintaining the structural integrity of all our healthy cells which make up the human body. But the same cholesterol can create a number of heath problems if the quantity is in excess. Cholesterol is mainly divided into two variants namely low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

The major health problem one can face with high levels of cholesterol is cardio related. However, there are a number of other health issues which may cause your cholesterol levels to spike up. Here are a few to name:

Thyroid gland: Thyroid is literally connected to every cell in your body and the slightest decrease in thyroid hormone levels can trigger a reaction. LDL, which is also known as the bad cholesterol, is affected due to thyroid related problems and increases the flow of cholesterol in your blood stream. High levels of LDL results in buildup of plaque in the arteries and can block or reduce the blood flow causing heart diseases and even stroke.

Liver problems: Liver problems can spike up your cholesterol levels rather unexpectedly by raising LDL’s and lowering HDL levels. HDL is responsible for carrying the cholesterol away from vital organs and flushing the excess out of the system, and a reduce in the level can lead to fatty liver which is the most common liver disorder. This is also linked to excess abdominal fat which is again the cause of a high carbohydrate based diet.

Weight problems: In order to control gaining weight, people often go on a diet which might not be properly structured or well-planned out. Hence losing weight on one hand is good for your overall health, but often leads to a sudden spike in cholesterol levels, and not the good cholesterol. Losing weight releases LDL which again enters the blood stream, gradually clogging the arteries.

Diet plans: Opting for a low-carb and low-calorie diet does not necessarily help. The body needs energy to function which is where carbs and calories come in; however, in a diet, these primary sources of energy are depleted rapidly and thus the body resorts to breaking down fats for energy. This sudden breakdown releases cholesterol and spikes the levels momentarily.

Overall a well-balanced diet and exercise routine has to be maintained in order to control cholesterol levels.

Not many people know this but high cholesterol level is also known as the silent killer since there are no obvious signs or symptoms of the disease to look out for. Unlike other health related problems which will have a number of easy-to-notice and get-it-under-control symptoms, cholesterol levels in your body may change owing to a number of reasons.

Cholesterol is normally divided into two parts, high density lipoprotein (HDL) which is the good cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) which is bad for your overall health. In simple terms, cholesterol is that fatty substance which is present in your bloodstream and oddly enough is essential for maintaining structural and membrane integrity of every cell in the body.

But the same fat content can be very harmful since high LDL levels increase the chances of arteries congestion which leads to reduce blood flow and a number of heart problems. LDL is the bad cholesterol which gets pumped inside the body through all major arteries and blood flow routes essential for everyday functioning of organs, clogging them at the same time thus reducing the flow and pressure.

Severe signs and symptoms of high levels of cholesterol include:

• Pain while walking: Arteries which carry blood to the leg muscles affecting movement can get clogged due to high levels of LDL and thus cause pain while walking, which is an indicator that cholesterol levels are high.
• Stroke: Stroke is caused when the main neck veins and arteries that pump blood to the brain gets blocked, which is a caused of high cholesterol.
• Heart attack: There couldn’t be a more evident indicator than shooting pains on your left side which is a clear sign that you just might be suffering from a heart attack, which is again a result of blocked arteries that carry blood to and from the heart to all the essential vital organs.
• Angina: Angina is another heart-related disorder which is caused due to blockage of vital arteries that carry blood to the heart, with symptoms that are easily identified.

There are mild symptoms and indicators of high cholesterol in your body which can be looked up online on major medical websites.

We have often heard the phrase- œpractice moderation in all things. This applies to almost everything in our lives. If you have a sweet tooth, eat sweets in moderation, if you love alcohol, drink in moderation, et al. The same concept applies when one thinks of cholesterol. Our body needs cholesterol to perform a variety of bodily functions. However, even your cholesterol has to be in moderation. People usually associate the word “cholesterol” with a serious ailment. However, cholesterol in itself is not “good” or “bad” for your health. There are good cholesterol and bad cholesterol and as the name implies bad cholesterol are the delinquents that harm our body.

Cholesterol, at normal levels is an indispensable part of our body since it aids in a lot of important functions such as it helps in building the structure of the cell wall, it makes the digestive bile acids in the intestines, it enables the body to produce vitamin D, and finally it helps our body create hormones. But, this is what your good cholesterol does. Your bad cholesterol is something you have to watch out for. But what causes bad cholesterol? Keep reading.

• Diabetes- If you are highly diabetic, chances are high that you might suffer from cholesterol as well. The high sugar content in your blood lowers the good cholesterol and adds to the number of bad cholesterol. Also, high sugar levels in the blood can damage the arteries.
• Smoking- Smoking is known to affect all the major functions of the body and can cause irreversible damage in the long run. Smoking affects the walls of the arteries and weakens it. This gives the perfect opportunity for fatty deposits to plague the walls. Also, smoking is known to reduce the good cholesterol.
• Obesity- Obesity is one of the biggest causes of cholesterol. A high body mass index (BMI), that of 30 or above, makes you more prone to cholesterol. Obesity does not allow you to maintain normal cholesterol levels.
• A poor diet- A diet that reeks of all kinds of fats, saturated or trans fat, is responsible for your high cholesterol levels. If you are a fast-food lover and your breakfast consists of a hot dog or tacos, then you are sending out invitations to all the bad cholesterol in the world.

Cholesterol is omnipresent and the key to living a healthy life is learning how to sustain normal cholesterol levels. If you suffer from high cholesterol, a change in lifestyle and ardently following the same would help you lower your cholesterol levels, and then the onus will be on you to manage your now normal cholesterol level.

Cholesterol is an organics molecule which is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of the membrane to maintain the structural integrity and fluidity. For humans, cholesterol is a type of fat which is found in the blood. The main function of cholesterol is boosting brain and skin and organs growth over the years till your organs stop growing at some point.

But cholesterol levels have to be maintained in the balance as too much or too little can lead to complications. Cholesterol is essentially fat and too much fat in the body is not good for health. Too much of anything is not good for health, and hence, a proper well-balanced diet ensures that the cholesterol intake is balanced and there is no over or under consumption through everyday foods like meat, eggs, fish, butter, cheese, and milk which are all cholesterol-rich foods.

Essentially the liver is responsible for producing cholesterol, along with what is found in day-to-day food staples, depending on your diet. Diet is everything when it comes to maintaining the perfect balance of nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and essential amino acids for proper bodily functions. Since the facts are present in the blood stream, improper or increased intake of cholesterol-rich foods can force to clog the arteries carrying blood vessels through the body and reduce the blood supply. Artery walls tend to become narrower and cause congestion which, if left untreated, can cause severe heart and bodily ailments.

High cholesterol levels in your blood stream lead to high risk of heart failure and attacks, brain strokes due to improper blood supply among other health problems. Cholesterol is of two types, namely HDL and LDL. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the cholesterol which carries the blood away from the liver to be pumped throughout the body and various organs, while the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) carries blood back to the liver to be broken down for necessary bodily functions. Basically, LDL is bad cholesterol and HDL is good cholesterol.

Controlling cholesterol levels is tough, it requires active participation on your part when it comes to maintaining a well-balanced yet nutritious diet, plenty of exercises to burn that extra fat, and carbs so that the cholesterol levels are maintained overall to promote a healthy living.

Frequent checkups with your general physician or dietician is advisable to ensure that the necessary steps are being taken to keep it in check. Information can also be found online on major medical websites and from onsite specialists.