Our body has fatty substances, which is produced naturally and it is known as cholesterol. Cholesterol is responsible for number of important functions in our body. It is naturally created in our body due to presence of certain amount of fat substance in the food that we take. In order to remain healthy, it is necessary to take certain amount of fats too.
There are two kinds of cholesterol which are as follows:
- Low density lipoprotein (LDL) which is also known as bad cholesterol
- High density lipoprotein (HDL), called good cholesterol
If LDL increases in our body then our arteries become narrow and thus the flow of blood to our heart and brain gets restricted. This will lead to coronary artery diseases. You can also suffer from heart attack or stroke due to this.
On the other hand HDL protects us against heart attacks and strokes as it removes cholesterol from our arteries. Therefore it is necessary to check periodically our both cholesterol level to take necessary countermeasure. In order to remain healthy your LDL should be less than 100 and HDL should be above 60. With the above explanation you would have got an idea on what is hypercholesterolemia.
What are the Causes of Hypercholesterolemia?
One may develop hypercholesterolemia due to different reasons, which may end up in heart disease or cholesterol. Some of the common reasons are as follows:
- Excessive smoking
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Taking diets which has rich content of saturated fats
- Family has a history of heart disease or stroke
- Male above age of 45
- Female above age of 55
- Premature menopause for female
- Low level of HDL
What are the Symptoms?
Generally most of the people do not show any particular external symptom, however if the condition becomes too worse, then people may get chest pain due to heart problem. Some people may also develop nodules, which are filled with various tendons especially of the lower legs. It may also show up on our eyelid, which is called xanthelasmas. Doctors can also find out our cholesterol level with the help of blood test and diagnose what is pure hypercholesterolemia level.
How to Prevent Hypercholesterolemia
Best way to prevent this problem is by taking healthy diet and by doing regular exercises. Use following diets regularly:
- Take plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, beans and seeds
- Use only olive oil and stop using any other oil
- Take yoghurt and low fat cheese daily
- Take fish at least twice a week
- Avoid all processed foods
- Limit the consumption of alcohol intake
- Avoid all kinds of trans fats
- Regulate your quantum of food so that you can burn whatever you eat
- Consult your dietitian, doctor for getting professional advice regarding your diet
- Regularly do blood test or lipid profile to check your cholesterol level
If your cholesterol level is increasing then you may visit The FH Foundation where you can get very good treatment and advice for reducing your bad cholesterol level.