Elevated cholesterol: what does it say, and what should I do?

high cholesterol Cholesterol is an organic substance, a natural fat-soluble alcohol. In the body of all living beings, it is part of the cell wall, forming its structure and participating in the transport of substances inside the cell and back.

Cholesterol exists in the form of two: LDL or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is called "bad" cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) or HDL - is called "good."

High cholesterol in the blood, not considered a problem a few dozen years ago, now worries many. Heart attacks and strokes take the lives of many people, and the cause of half of them is arteriosclerosis of blood vessels, which, in turn, is a consequence of increased cholesterol in the blood of men and women. About what it says, and what should be done in this case, we will consider today.

When is this analysis scheduled?

The definition of cholesterolfollowing patients:

Women who take long-term hormonal contraceptives;
Women in menopause;
Men after 35 years;
People at risk of heredity;
When you reach a certain age;

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Suffering diabetes and hypothyroidism;
Suffering from obesity;
Have bad habits;
If there are symptoms of systemic atherosclerosis.

Most experts believe that sedentary work, sedentary lifestyle, lack of regular physical activity in the open air, overeating, the abundance of harmful food in the diet - are the determining factors in the early development of atherosclerosis and the causes of high cholesterol in the population.

Cholesterol in the blood

The norm of cholesterol can fluctuate in the range of 3.6-7.8 mmol / l. However, doctors say that any level of cholesterol above 6 mmol / l is considered elevated and represents a health risk, since can provoke atherosclerosis, another word to clog the blood vessels, creating obstacles for the flow of blood through the veins and arteries.

Classification of cholesterol levels in the blood:

Optimal- 5 and less mmol / l.
Moderately elevated- 5-6 mmol / l.
Dangerously elevated cholesterol- 7.8 mmol / l.

There are several types of these connections:

HDL- high density lipoproteins, transport excess surplus cholesterol from tissues to the liver for processing and excretion.
LDL- Low-density lipoproteins intended for transport of cholesterol from the liver to tissues.
VLDLP- Lipoproteins of very low density, carry endogenous cholesterol, triglycerides in the body.

Increased cholesterol in the blood contributes to the development of atherosclerotic damage to the walls of blood vessels and is one of the risk factors for development severe cardiovascular diseases such as angina pectoris (ischemic heart disease) and myocardial infarction, cerebral stroke and intermittent claudication.

Causes of High Cholesterol

Why do women have cholesterol in their blood, what does it say and what should be done? The risk of increased cholesterol increases in the case of hereditary predisposition, if close relatives are sick with atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease or hypertension.

With age, the risk of developing hypercholesterolemia also increases. In middle age, the increase in cholesterol is more common in men, but with the onset of menopause, women become prone to this pathology as often as men.

Nevertheless, the main causes of high cholesterol in women or men have acquired character:

Wrong way of life of the patient: hypodynamia, smoking, alcohol abuse, frequent stressful situations;
Accompanying illnesses: obesity, diabetes, systemic connective tissue diseases;
Culinary preferences: regular consumption of fatty foods, animal origin, insufficient quantity in the diet of fresh vegetables and fruits.

All of the above factors are direct answers, why cholesterol can be raised, or more precisely, it is direct results of a poor quality attitude to one's health.

Symptoms

Here are some signs on which it is possible to reveal cholesterol above the norm:

Stenocardia due to narrowing of the coronary arteries of the heart.
pain in the legs during exercise.
presence of blood clots and ruptures of blood vessels.
rupture of plaques and as a consequence of heart failure.
The presence of xanthoma - it's yellow spots on the skin, most often in the eye area.

In itself, high cholesterol has no symptoms. Symptoms occur in atherosclerosis - the common effect of excessive cholesterol. If a cold can be recognized by an easy cold, high cholesterol in the blood is sometimes found only after a heart attack.

In other words, do not wait until the signs of high cholesterol show themselves. It is better to do tests for prevention every 1-5 years (depending on the risk).

How to treat elevated cholesterol?

In order to reduce high cholesterol in the blood, an integrated approach is needed. Consult your physician for the selection of the optimal program for controlling high cholesterol.

Depending on the degree of risk, different methods of treatment are used:

rejection of bad habits;
physiotherapy;
weight loss;
special diets;
drug treatment.

Helps reduce cholesterolin the blood of women and men:

physical activity 5-6 times a week for 30-60 minutes;
Do not eat foods that contain trans fats;
Eat plenty of fiber, in foods allowed for a low-carbohydrate diet;
Eat sea fish at least 2 times a week or take omega-3 fatty acids;
stop smoking;
Be a teetotaler or drink alcohol sparingly.

It should be noted the importance of regular medical examinations, because most diseases are much easier to cure at the initial stage, when a person still has almost nothing to worry about. Remember: the complications caused by increased cholesterol are irreversible, and the treatment does not eliminate the existing problems, but only prevents the development of new ones.

Products that increase cholesterol

In order to reduce hypercholesterolemia, it is necessary to limit in your diet foods that increase cholesterol:

red meat - beef, veal;
egg yolk;
fatty pork, lamb, fat;
by-products;
sausages, sausages;
duck meat;
mayonnaise;
canned food;
easily assimilated carbohydrates;
fried food;
margarine;
coffee;
products containing trans fats, the so-called fast food: chips, crackers, etc .;
milk of high fat content: cheese, cream, sour cream, milk, ice cream, butter, ghee;
oysters, crabs, shrimps, caviar. For example, a lobster weighing 100 grams. contains 70 mg. cholesterol.

Do not forget that on average, only 30% of the cholesterol enters the bloodstream from the outside. The rest of it is produced by the body on its own. Therefore, even if you try to reduce the level of these fats with the help of various diets, you will not be able to "remove" its significant share anyway.

Experts recommend to adhere to the cholesterol-free diet not for the purpose of prevention, but only for medicinal purposes, when the level of these fats is really high.

Foods that lower cholesterol

In addition to limiting products that increase cholesterol, you can add to your diet foods that lower cholesterol.

avocado;
wheat germ;
brown rice bran;
sesame seeds;
sunflower seeds;
pistachios;
pumpkin seeds;
Pine nuts;
flax-seed;
almond;
olive oil;
greens in any form;
wild salmon and sardines - cod liver oil;
blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, lingonberries, chokeberry, pomegranate, red grapes.

Also, having excluded coffee and replacing it with quality non-strong green tea, you can reduce cholesterol by 15%.

Sport activities

The simplest and most natural way to keep the vessels in good shape is movement: physical work, gymnastics, dances, walks, in short, everything that brings the feeling of muscle joy. In people who are physically active, the level of total cholesterol is usually lower, and the level of "good" is higher.

Half-hour walking at a moderate pace 3-5 times a week, so that the pulse would not increase by more than 10-15 beats per minute - a wonderful cycle of therapy.

Medicines

In addition to such methods as increasing physical activity, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and eating healthy people products, a person with an elevated cholesterol level may be offered to take medications, among them:

Traykor, Lipantil 200M. These drugs effectively reduce cholesterol in patients with diabetes mellitus.
Preparations: Atomax, Liptonorm, Tulip, Torvacad, Atorvastatin. In this case, the active substance is atorvastatite.
Ovenkor, Vazilip, Simvastatit, Simvastol, Simgal and others. The active substance in each of these preparations is one - it is simvastatin.

In addition, after consulting with the doctor, you can try to take dietary supplements. They are not medicines, but they can help reduce cholesterol.