Is High Cholesterol Really Bad For You?

Online, March 14, 2011 (Newswire.com) - High Blood Pressure Insider is a website uniquely dedicated to explaining both the health problems that can be caused by having high levels of cholesterol and how people can lower their cholesterol.

A recent research project linked high good cholesterol to long life in men.

But surely high cholesterol is bad for you?

Most people are told that high cholesterol is as bad for your heart as high blood pressure.

So what's the truth?

Is high cholesterol really bad for you?

In order to answer that question we need to explain a little more about cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance known as a lipid. It is mostly made by the liver from the fatty foods we eat and is vital for the normal functioning of the body.

However, having an excessively high level of lipids in your blood can have a serious effect on your health as it increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Cholesterol cannot travel around the body on its own because it does not dissolve in water. Instead, it is carried in your blood by molecules called lipoproteins. The two main lipoproteins are LDL and HDL.

LDL is the main cholesterol transporter and carries cholesterol from your liver to the cells that need it. If there is too much cholesterol for the cells to use, this can cause a harmful build-up in your blood. Too much LDL cholesterol in the blood can cause cholesterol to build up in the artery walls, leading to disease of the arteries. For this reason, LDL cholesterol is known as 'bad cholesterol', and lower levels are better.

HDL carries cholesterol away from the cells and back to the liver, where it is either broken down or passed from the body as a waste product. For this reason, it is referred to as 'good cholesterol', and higher levels are better.

The amount of cholesterol in the blood, good and bad, can be measured with a blood test. Your doctor may also measure your level of triglycerides. Triglycerides are the fats you use for energy and come from the fatty foods you eat. You store what you do not use in the fatty tissues of your body. Excess triglycerides in the blood also increase heart problems.

Blood cholesterol is measured in units called millimoles per litre of blood, often shortened to mmol/L. Most experts recommend that cholesterol levels should be less than 5mmol/L.

Evidence strongly indicates that high cholesterol levels can cause narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis), heart attack and stroke. This is because cholesterol can build up in the artery wall, restricting the flow of blood to your heart, brain and the rest of your body. It also increases the chance of a blood clot developing.

Your risk of coronary heart disease (when your heart's blood supply is blocked or disrupted) rises as your blood's cholesterol level increases.

Other factors, such as high blood pressure and smoking, increase this risk even more.

You can help prevent getting high blood cholesterol by eating a healthy, balanced diet that is low in saturated fat.

If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, the first method of treatment will usually involve making some changes to your diet (adopting a low-fat diet) and doing plenty of regular exercise. If your cholesterol level has not dropped after a few months, you will usually be advised to take cholesterol-lowering medication.

But diet may not always be the cause of high cholesterol.

The recent case of Megan Johns highlighted why it's important that everyone has their cholesterol checked from time to time.

The 23 year-old student suffered a heart attack the day before her graduation. Tests revealed that Johns had a genetic condition that caused her to have very high cholesterol levels, even though she's vegan - she doesn't eat meat or dairy products, both of which can contribute to unhealthy cholesterol levels.

High Blood Pressure Insider is a website uniquely dedicated to promoting a more natural approach to avoiding high cholesterol. One of its objectives is to educate people to manage their cholesterol levels and enjoy the numerous benefits from having a healthy heart.

To discover more about High Blood Pressure Insider go to http://www.highbloodpressureinsider.org