High cholesterol is one of the most commonly talked about lifestyle disease now-a-days. Age is no more a criterion for this condition as even young children of 15 years have been seen to have high cholesterol. often, when we say high cholesterol, it refers to the total cholesterol in the blood, but to know the exact measure of cholesterol, a test called lipid profile has to be done.
What is triglycerides and Its Test ?
After a 12-hour fasting, the blood is tested for lipid profile, which shows the level of total cholesterol, LDL or the harmful low-density lipoprotein, HDL or the beneficial good cholesterol (high density lipoprotein) and also the very-low- density lipoprotein (VLDL), which are the smallest yet harmful molecules of cholesterol. Also, triglycerides, which are the blood triglyceride level when our food is converted into energy are shown in this test. The normal level of total cholesterol in blood is accepted at below 200 mg/dl, but if you have a tendency of heart attack or stroke or if you have already suffered a heart attack before, your total cholesterol level must not be above 160. Total cholesterol is calculated as the sum of the good cholesterol, bad cholesterol and 20% of the triglycerides in the blood.
What is the Fact of Fats ?
People have misconception that obese people have higher cholesterol levels, but the fact is that people of all ages and body types are seen to have high cholesterol levels. The carbohydrates in our food are absorbed by our body and converted to fats by the liver. The foods prepared from rice, wheat or other sweetmeats are all carbohydrates and the liver converts these into fats. Normally carbohydrate is utilized for the energy requirement of our body, but when there is excess amount of carbohydrates, it is converted to fats. The fats absorbed by the body from the fatty food we eat is only 10% of the total body fat. The remaining 90% is that which is produced by the liver through the conversion of the carbohydrates. In short, if the amount of carbohydrate consumption increases, then the liver converts it to fats and you have a tendency to obesity. If there is a possibility of diabetes, the carbohydrate in the food is not converted to energy, instead it is converted to fats and deposited around the abdomen. This is why we see potbelly in people who have a tendency to obesity. Another danger associated with this is that if you have diabetes, your blood sugar level will always remain high and in such condition, the liver converts the sugars to fat.
This is why the cholesterol level is always high in diabetic patients. Also, if the cholesterol is high in diabetic patients, the sugar molecules further deposit in the cholesterol molecules and it is transported through the blood. The fat molecules seen in a diabetic patient are much more harmful than those seen in a non-diabetic person as these are responsible for most of the clots, strokes and kidney complaints. This is why diabetic patients are always advised by doctors to keep their cholesterol levels under control.
LDL is considered normal upto 100 mg/dl, risky when above 130, and high if above 160 where the doctors will start medicines for high cholesterol immediately. With the newer studies about cholesterol, we see that the HDL value is also as important as the LDL. In a healthy person, the HDL must always be above 40 and it is best if above 60. If you have a high triglyceride, total cholesterol, or LDL cholesterol, but the HDL is above 60 mg, your chances of heart attack or stroke are far less. But the reduction of HDL along with the rise of LDL is the cause of many diseases.
To keep the HDL high, we must consume the beneficial fats that can be obtained from nuts, fishes that have omega-3 fatty acid, olive oil, etc. Usually, the complications of high cholesterol such as stroke or heart disease are more common in men as compared to women. But now-a-days, women above the age of 50 years, or menopausal women, have high LDL level and low levels of HDL of below 40.
In this condition, especially in women over 50 years, the chance of a heart attack is much more than in men. In women below 50 years, their female hormone of estrogen acts as a protection for maintaining a high HDL, but as the age advances, the risk of such diseases increases in women. At least 40 min of daily exercise is very helpful to control the cholesterol levels. Therefore, reduction of oily or fatty foods alone is not good enough to bring the cholesterol values under control as carbohydrate is the actual culprit in increasing the blood cholesterol level.