What Makes The Cholesterol High in Our Blood?

     

     The level of cholesterol in your blood is affected not only by what you eat but also by the way your body quickly makes LDL-cholesterol and gets rid of it. In fact, your body makes all the cholesterol you need, and it is not necessary to include any extra cholesterol in your diet.

     People with heart disease or those at high risk of getting it usually have high LDL-cholesterol in their blood. Many factors help determine whether your LDL-cholesterol level is high or low. The following are the most important factors.

     The level of cholesterol in your blood is affected not only by what you eat but also by the way your body quickly makes LDL-cholesterol and gets rid of it. In fact, your body makes all the cholesterol you need, and it is not necessary to include any extra cholesterol in your diet. Patients with heart disease or those who are at high risk for having it often have high levels of LDL cholesterol in their blood. Many factors help determine whether your LDL-cholesterol level is high or low. The following are the most important factors.

Inheritance. Your genes influence how high your LDL-cholesterol is by affecting how fast LDL is made and removed from the bloodstream. Another type of high cholesterol inherited from one in 500 is family hypercholesterolemia, which often leads to early heart disease. But even if you do not have a specific type of high cholesterol, genes play a role in influencing your LDL-cholesterol level.

What are you eating. Two key nutrients in your diet increase your LDL-cholesterol level: saturated fat, the fatty acids found in animal foods; and cholesterol, which comes from animal products only. Saturated fats increase your LDL-cholesterol level more than anything else in the diet. Eating too much fat and cholesterol is the main cause of high cholesterol and high heart rate in the United States. Reducing the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol you eat is a very important step in lowering your cholesterol levels.

Weight. Too much weight tends to increase your LDL-cholesterol level. If you are overweight and have high levels of LDL-cholesterol, losing weight may help you lose weight. Weight loss will also help to reduce the level of triglycerides and increase HDL.

Physical activity / exercise. Regular exercise can lower LDL-cholesterol and increase HDL-cholesterol levels.

Age and gender. Before menopause, women tend to have lower overall cholesterol levels than men of the same age group. As women and men grow older, their blood cholesterol levels rise to about 60 to 65 years of age. For women, menopause often causes an increase in LDL-cholesterol and a decrease in their HDL-cholesterol levels, and after 50 years, women tend to have higher total cholesterol levels than men of the same age.

Alcohol. Drinking alcohol increases HDL-cholesterol but does not lower LDL-cholesterol. Doctors do not know for sure whether alcohol reduces the risk of heart disease. Excessive alcohol consumption can damage the liver and heart muscle, cause high blood pressure, and increase triglycerides. Because of the risks, alcohol should not be used as a means of preventing heart disease.

Depression. Long-term stress has been shown in several studies to raise blood cholesterol levels. One way stress can do this is by affecting your habits. For example, when people are stressed, they comfort themselves by eating fatty foods. Saturated fats and cholesterol in these foods contribute to high blood cholesterol levels.