In order for the heart to work without failures, in addition to an active lifestyle, avoiding bad habits and coping with stress, it is still necessary to adhere to a diet and control cholesterol levels. You need to do this from a young age, even if there are no health problems. In the article we will tell in detail what is the danger of cholesterol when exceeding its norm, and how to deal with it.
What it is?
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that forms in the liver. Bile acids are formed from it, with the help of which the absorption of fats in the small intestine is performed. Without this component, normal adrenal function, synthesis of sex hormones cannot be.
Cholesterol is also considered the main building block of the cell membrane. It is an insulator of nerve fibers, and also produces vitamin D from the light of the sun so that it is absorbed by the human body.
Why is cholesterol needed?
The component performs several important functions:
- The human body, like any organism, is composed of cells. The cholesterol present in the membranes makes them strong, permeable.
- Without it, the nervous system cannot function, since this component is present in the sheath of nerve fibers.
- The component is part of the bile that is required for digestion.
- Without a substance, the hormonal system cannot function normally. With his participation, the synthesis of adrenal hormones occurs.
- Even immunity cannot work without cholesterol.
Caution - danger!
But when the level of this component is increased, it has negative properties. Why is high cholesterol dangerous? The negative consequences of exceeding the norm include the following consequences:
- There is a narrowing of the lumen of the vessels, as deposits accumulate on their walls. This leads to clogged arteries.
- Since there is damage to the arteries through which blood flows to the heart, there is a risk of ischemic disease.
- When blood and oxygen do not enter the heart muscle due to a blood clot, myocardial infarction occurs.
- With blockage of blood vessels, the risk of atherosclerosis and angina pectoris increases.
- A stroke is likely due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain.
What is the danger of cholesterol in women? The negative effect of exceeding the norm for y will be the same as for the rest. There are no differences.
That's the danger of large amounts of cholesterol in our body. Only a careful attitude to health will not allow to bring the body to such conditions.
Signs
If you listen to your body, you can prevent many unpleasant consequences. It is important to know not only what is dangerous for high cholesterol, but also what are its symptoms. Symptoms include signs of atherosclerosis, which develops due to deposition of atherosclerotic plaques on the walls of blood vessels. You can determine the high level of this substance by:
- Angina pectoris, which appears during narrowing of the coronary arteries of the heart.
- Pain in the legs due to physical activity, due to narrowing of the arteries that are responsible for blood supply.
- Blood clot and damage (rupture) of blood vessels.
- A rupture of atherosclerotic plaques in which coronary thrombosis appears. And because of it, heart failure develops.
- The presence of yellow spots on the skin, which are called xanthomas. They are usually visible near the eyes.
Causes
Each person needs to remember the danger of high cholesterol in the blood. Then this condition can be avoided.
Still need to know about the reasons. Often this phenomenon occurs due to lifestyle. The main reason is considered improper nutrition. There are many foods with a lot of cholesterol that do not affect its blood level. They have good cholesterol - HDL.
Dangerous foods are rich in saturated fats. This applies to flour products, fatty meat and cheese, chocolate, mayonnaise, chips, fast food. It is because of them that bad LDL cholesterol accumulates. Therefore, it is important to exclude these products from your diet.
Leads to a disease and a sedentary lifestyle. Many people have a sedentary lifestyle, as well as inactive work. This leads to overweight, which is the basis for increasing cholesterol. Another reason lies in alcohol and tobacco.
Predisposing factors include heredity, gender (in men, the disease appears more often), as well as age - the older a person becomes, the greater the risk of detecting high cholesterol.
Norm
If you are interested in why cholesterol is dangerous, you probably want to know what its normal amount is. The norm is at least 200 mg / dl. The optimum is a mark of 5 mmol / l. Exceeding this indicator just leads to negative consequences.
An elevated level of this component is found in children, men are not immune from it, and is even present in women in the blood. What is dangerous cholesterol for both sexes, consider below.
Only at first it should be noted that the rate indicator may differ depending on:
- gender
- age
- blood pressure
- smoking.
For example, for men with normal pressure who did not smoke, a cholesterol level of 5.8 mmol / L can lead to premature death. And for a young smoking woman who has high blood pressure, a content of 7.1 millimoles will not be dangerous. For an elderly woman, a figure of 6.9 mmol / L is dangerous.
It is believed that the reason for everything is female sex hormones, which are more in youth. They quickly oxidize cholesterol, preventing the appearance of atherosclerosis.
Drug treatment
You need to know not only about how dangerous cholesterol is, but also how to lower its level. For this, doctors prescribe drug therapy:
- Statins are in demand (for example, Atorvastatin). With them, its production in the liver decreases. The advantage of statins is that they inhibit the growth of plaques that appear.
- Nicotinic acid medicines can lower cholesterol. Thanks to them, the production of cholesterol by the liver is reduced, and fatty acids will not be absorbed into the blood from subcutaneous fat. The minus of nicotinic acid is considered to be that large doses are needed to obtain the desired effect, and this leads to negative consequences in the form of pain in the head and stomach, a feeling of heat. Nicotinic acid should not be taken with a diseased liver.
- Sequestrants of bile acids are used. Drugs reduce bile acids, which are products of the exchange of fats and cholesterol. But such drugs negatively affect digestion, leading to flatulence and constipation.
- The last group of drugs includes fibrates. With them, reduced fat synthesis. Side effects include harm to the liver, the appearance of gallstones.
ethnoscience
You can lower cholesterol with folk remedies. Garlic will help. It is believed that the regular use of two cloves per day will allow you to keep the right level of this substance in the blood. Effective tincture of hawthorn, which can be bought or prepared independently.
There are other recipes, for example, including ginger. But it is necessary to be treated with folk remedies after the approval of the doctor. Such drugs lower the level of the substance, but can be harmful, as they have their contraindications.
Food
With cholesterol more than normal, you need to remove foods rich in saturated fats from the menu. It will be useful to use:
- seafood;
- greens;
- vegetables, red fruits;
- legumes;
- vegetable oils.
Lifestyle
A workout that is suitable for age and health will be beneficial for the body, as it has a positive effect on metabolism, preventing the appearance of excess weight. It is necessary to give up smoking and alcohol in large quantities, as appetite increases with it, and with overeating, excess weight appears.
Thus, cholesterol should be kept normal for every person. If its concentration is exceeded, it is necessary to use effective normalization measures. Then you can avoid many health problems.