Low cholesterol: causes, diagnosis, normalization

In the article, we consider the causes of low cholesterol.

Cholesterol belongs to the group of fatty acids that are involved in the formation and maintenance of the proper functioning of cell membranes in living organisms. This is the most important component, the excess or deficiency of which may indicate a variety of functional changes occurring in the body.

Often you can see information about the dangers of a high content of this substance, but many people do not know that low blood cholesterol is very harmful. The reasons for this phenomenon must be clarified.

General Cholesterol Information

75% of fatty acids are naturally produced in the human body and only 25% come from food that contains animal fats. They are considered the most important elements that take part in the formation of new cells.

Cholesterol has the following features:

• participates in hormonal processes, affects the synthesis of testosterone, cortisol, estrogen, progesterone;
• It is an antioxidant that protects cell membranes;
• is the main element that contributes to the proper absorption of vitamin D;
• affects the digestive system, digestion and absorption of fats.

Before talking about the causes of low cholesterol, we describe the symptoms.

Symptoms of lowering cholesterol

Thus, the described element is an organic compound that has a complex effect on the systems of the whole organism. Accordingly, with the lack of this element, a number of different functional disorders and pathological phenomena can occur:

• insufficient production of a number of hormones, which leads to disturbances in the psychoemotional background;
• decreased libido and infertility due to lack of sex hormones;
• deficiency of certain vitamins - D, E, K, A;
• diabetes;
• systematic digestive system disorders;
• the occurrence of hemorrhagic stroke.
  

Reduced cholesterol can lead to many psychophysiological disorders that negatively affect human health. Scientific studies have found that depressive states in humans occur several times more often with cholesterol deficiency, and the likelihood of hemorrhagic stroke in people with hypocholesterolemia is much higher.

What is the low blood cholesterol concentration?

The rate of cholesterol in a healthy person can vary in the range of 3.6-7.8 mmol / L. But doctors say that any cholesterol indicator of more than 6 mmol / L is considered high and poses certain health risks, since it can provoke the development of atherosclerosis, which is characterized by blockage of blood vessels, which prevents blood flow through arteries and veins.

Classification of concentrations of a substance in the blood implies:

• the optimal level is 5 or less mmol / l;
• moderately elevated - 5-6 mmol / l;
• dangerously high level - 7-8 mmol / l.

Moreover, a cholesterol index of less than 3 mmol / L is considered dangerously low.

Varieties of compounds

There are several varieties of cholesterol compounds:

• HDL - high density lipoproteins that transport excess free cholesterol to the liver from body cells for conversion and excretion;
• LDL - low density lipoproteins, which are designed to transport cholesterol from the liver to the tissues of the body;
• VLDL - extremely low density lipoproteins that are designed to carry triglycerides and endogenous cholesterol.
  

Causes of Low Cholesterol

Several reasons are known to clinical medicine, which often provoke a decrease in the amount of fatty acids in the body. These include:

1. Diseases and lesions of the liver of an organic nature. This organ plays a major role in cholesterol production processes, therefore its pathological conditions often lead to a decrease in the production of fatty acids.
2. Low-fat foods, poor nutrition, poorly selected diets, fasting, eating foods high in simple carbohydrates.
3. Hereditary predisposition is a common cause of low blood cholesterol.
4. Anemia, various poisonings with substances of inorganic origin, infectious pathologies that cause systemic intoxication.
5. Frequent stressful situations that affect the psychophysiological state of health lead to low blood cholesterol in women. The reasons can be very different.

Most often, a pathological phenomenon in the form of lowering cholesterol develops in people who are trying to eat right, but due to a lack of knowledge or the use of the wrong approach, they violate the rules of eating. Reduced cholesterol in women, the causes of which are similar situations, increases the mortality rate by almost 40%. This is confirmed by numerous clinical studies. Low cholesterol in men, for the same reason, can provoke the development of dementia and significantly increases the likelihood of acquired dementia.

What are other causes of low density cholesterol?

The symptomatology of the pathology is not specific, and therefore can indicate the development of another disease. This means that only biochemical blood tests can reliably determine the level of fatty acids. Nevertheless, attention should be paid to the symptoms that are characteristic of such a pathological phenomenon. Not one symptom should be taken into account, but several at once, in a complex, which will more fully describe the picture of the clinical manifestations of the disease:

• excessive fatigue, even after slight physical or mental stress;
• enlarged lymph nodes;
• severe depression, which is periodically replaced by aggression;
• hormonal disorders;
• digestive dysfunctions;
• marked decrease in sexual activity;
• lack of appetite;
• proliferation of lymphoid tissue;
• fatigue and weakness;
• slowing reflexes and decreased sensitivity;
• steatorrhea, when excess fat is excreted from the body with feces, which have a characteristic oily sheen;
• pathology of cerebral vessels, stroke;
• osteoporosis;
• pathology of the thyroid gland.
  

What are the causes of low cholesterol in men and women, the doctor will tell. You should be aware that a low concentration of cholesterol compounds in men increases the likelihood of addiction to smoking, alcohol and taking drugs. There are also high chances of cancer.

It is also necessary to pay attention to the fact that depression in this case is considered not as a temporary condition, but as a disease.

It happens that low cholesterol is elevated. The reasons for this are listed below.

Increase cholesterol

A more common violation of cholesterol is its increase. The risk of developing such a pathological phenomenon increases in the case of a genetic predisposition, with the development of atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension and ischemic heart disease.

With age, the risk of hypercholesterolemia increases, and this applies to both women and men. In middle age, an increase in cholesterol is most often diagnosed in men, but with the onset of menopause, women also become susceptible to pathology. Why is low-density cholesterol elevated? The reasons are usually acquired genesis:

• improper lifestyle: lack of exercise, alcohol abuse, smoking, frequent stress;
• concomitant pathologies: obesity, diabetes, connective tissue diseases;
• food preferences: excessive consumption of fats, lack of diet of vegetables and fruits.

Diagnostics

How to identify the causes of low cholesterol in women and men?

Diagnostic measures are carried out in order to accurately detect a pathological phenomenon and determine the treatment methodology. For this, laboratory studies on the entire lipid spectrum are necessary:

• cholesterol;
• HDL + NP,
• total protein;
• prothrombin index;
• gamma-glutamyltransferase;
• ALT / AST.
  

Normalization of cholesterol

Possible causes of low cholesterol we have described. If a person has revealed an abnormal indicator during the diagnosis, this requires appropriate treatment. Self-treatment is impossible at the same time, as well as the use of traditional medicine. Treatment directly depends on the causes of lowering cholesterol compounds.

The most commonly used methods for treating low cholesterol:

1. Correction of nutrition through the development of a special diet. In case of eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia, psychogenic loss of appetite), additional medication is prescribed.
2. In infectious diseases and organic liver damage, the infectious focus is stopped, the corresponding root cause of this phenomenon is eliminated - infectious pathogens that provoked the disease, which, in turn, caused a decrease in cholesterol.
3. Psychophysiological overstrain, stresses - the nature of the origin of such conditions is established and the appropriate treatment is determined.

Thus, the treatment of conditions characterized by a decrease in cholesterol is individual and depends on what the provoked pathology is. In all cases, corrective methods are used, which include proper nutrition, normal physical activity and elimination of bad habits.

Low cholesterol diet

Dietary nutrition with low cholesterol implies the use of foods that contain a large amount of this substance. These products include:

• fish roe and beef brains, 100 grams of which contain 2 g of cholesterol;
• egg yolks - content in 100 g - 1.48 g;
• Dutch cheese - 0.52 g of cholesterol per 100 g;
• Pacific mackerel - 0.36 g of cholesterol;
• beef liver and kidneys - 0.27 g and 0.3 g, respectively;
• butter - 0.19 cholesterol.

Greens

To increase cholesterol, it is necessary that the diet is rich in herbs - dill, parsley. Food should be easy to prepare and healthy. In addition, it is recommended to eat eggs daily, drink fresh milk. Carrot juice and carrots themselves will be very useful products during a diet with low cholesterol. It is recommended to replace sunflower oil with olive, which is a source of very rare omega-3 fats; most modern people suffer from their deficiency.

Nuts

A very useful product with a similar pathological phenomenon is considered nuts. The product is very rich in a variety of unsaturated fats and is able to prevent LDL oxidation processes. Significantly raises the level of beneficial cholesterol onions. When dieting, you can cook fresh salads with the addition of green onions, as well as various dishes with onions. It is also necessary to include as many marine fish and legumes as possible in the diet, which perfectly normalize the level of cholesterol needed to build cells.

If the causes of low cholesterol are not determined in a timely manner, the consequences can be very serious.

Effects

If pathology in the form of lowering cholesterol is not treated, the development of many complications is possible, including:

• obesity due to low ability of the body to absorb fats;
• severe mental abnormalities, manifested in prolonged depression, panic attacks, aggression, and in old age - senility and degradation, which occurs due to a lack of serotonin, closely associated with cholesterol;
• hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs due to the fragility of blood vessels that can not withstand blood pressure;
• infertility due to lack of sex hormones;
• intestinal permeability, which means the penetration of toxins and waste products into the blood through a thin mucous layer;
• hyperthyroidism due to excessive thyroid function.

We examined the main causes of low cholesterol.