Hebrew News – Millions around the world suffer from high cholesterol: this is how to lower it

2023-06-19 02:03:58

Millions around the world suffer from high cholesterol: this is how to lower it

This week’s Cholesterol Damage Awareness Day is an ideal time to learn about the dangers of the phenomenon, who is more exposed to it, and how we can take care of our health – both by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and by drug treatments. Here is all the information you need to know

Cholesterol is one of the most essential substances in the human body, and it is even an important component in building the body’s cells and the hormones that the body produces. Since cholesterol is a fatty substance, in order to reach the various organs in the body and form one of its three building blocks, it has to move within the blood vessels, but like oil and water – cholesterol too cannot mix with the blood, so it needs a protein shell to move it.

This protein shell is called the “bad cholesterol” (LDL) that carries the cholesterol from the liver to the rest of the body’s tissues and eventually sinks. Another envelope, the “good cholesterol” (HDL) makes its way with excess cholesterol back to the liver for another cycle. The problem begins as soon as there is an excess of cholesterol in the blood, whether it is created in excess in the first place, or following the consumption of a large amount of fats that usually reach the walls of the arteries and accumulate in a process called atherosclerosis, which causes heart attacks and strokes. The obvious conclusion is that we should all take care to balance our cholesterol levels, but there are people who need a more strict balance.

So who is at higher risk?

Those who have already had a heart attack or stroke, people who have blockages of blood vessels in the legs or neck and people dealing with atherosclerosis. It is also important to know that the optimal level of bad cholesterol (LDL) desired in people who are at low risk is below 100 mg per deciliter.

Other groups at very high risk are diabetics, especially those with long-term diabetes (over a decade) or people who have a genetic disorder in cholesterol production, a disorder called “familial hypercholesterolemia” in which LDL levels are very high. The phenomenon usually results from genetic defects in the LDL receptor found in the liver, which is the way to remove bad cholesterol from the blood cells. When that receptor is defective for genetic reasons or is found in very small numbers, we get high levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream.

In diabetic patients or in people who are in the high risk group for heart attacks or strokes – the desired level is below 70 mg per deciliter, in those who have already experienced a heart attack or stroke or who have atherosclerosis demonstrated by cardiac catheterization or a CT scan of the arteries – you need a serum LDL will be lower than 55 mg per deciliter.

How can you maintain a normal cholesterol level?

Cholesterol is indeed a chronic condition, but with this chronic condition you can live and even live well. The problem is that if it is not treated, it can lead to life-threatening conditions including heart attacks or blockages of arteries in the lower limbs or neck and may also lead to blockage of arteries and therefore there are several recommendations that are important and should be adopted, which include, among other things, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and correct habits:

1. Avoiding smoking: smoking causes damage to the inner wall of blood vessels and exposes them to deposition and accumulation of cholesterol. As a result, smoking accelerates arteriosclerosis which may lead to acceleration of blood vessel blockage processes.

2. Regular physical activity: physical activity, in particular aerobic activity, is important in preventing cardiovascular diseases, helps in increasing good cholesterol and reducing bad cholesterol.

3. Avoiding saturated fat and trans fat: The saturated fat is animal fat. It can be found in high-fat cheeses, butter, fat found in meat, sausages and more. Trans fats are mainly found in ultra-processed foods when in the list of ingredients on the product packaging we find them under the name “hardened fat” or “partially hardened fat”.

4. Making sure to incorporate fats from the plant and increasing the consumption of foods rich in fiber: unsaturated fats from the plant have great nutritional value. At the same time, fibers found in fruits, vegetables, legumes or whole grains cause a delay in the absorption of cholesterol from the digestive system into the blood.

5. Be sure to have periodic blood tests according to age and family history: for the normal population, the recommendation is one test every five years over the age of 25, one test every two years over the age of 40, and at least one test per year over the age of 60. Age is one of the most significant risk factors, the older you are The more the morbidity increases, and the changes in the body can cause changes in the blood vessels and from there to heart attacks.

6. Drug treatment if necessary: ​​Today there are a variety of treatments that are tailored to the patient personally by a cardiologist or a blood lipids specialist, from treatment with daily pills to injections that are given once every few months and help to balance the cholesterol levels in the blood. Sometimes they can also be obtained for primary prevention in those who have not yet experienced a heart attack or had a stroke.

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