Cholesterol is very essential for our body since it is needed to produce hormones, vitamin D and other very essential substance that generally help in digesting the food that we eat. However, too much of cholesterol is also not good for our health as it has many negative impacts on our body. It is important to know the causes of high cholesterol to take necessary action. It is also necessary to know if you have high cholesterol, by doing regular blood tests, so that timely treatment can be planned.
Causes of High Cholesterol
Here are some of the risk factors and causes of high cholesterol. Poor Diet as a Cause for High Cholesterol. People who consume more saturated fat have a high risk of having high cholesterol level. Those who regularly take dairy products for example butter, cheese, ghee, etc. also have a huge risk. Foods like pork, beef, lamb and high protein and fat based foods may also cause high cholesterol.
Obesity. Being overweight is one of the causes of high cholesterol. People whose weight is more than 80 kilograms are highly prone to get high cholesterol level. A man whose waist is more than 40 inches and women whose waist size is more than 30 inches are at risk of having high cholesterol levels.
Smoking. People who smoke regularly are also highly prone to high cholesterol, as smoking can reduce the level of good cholesterol and can injure as well as damage the inner lining of the arteries.
Diabetes as a Cause for High Cholesterol. People with diabetes can also have high levels of LDL cholesterol and decrease the level of HDL cholesterol. This increases the risk of high cholesterol level along with the risk of heart attack and stroke. Additionally, genetic and environmental factors too play an important role in determining the risk of having high cholesterol. However, it is noted that the diet and lifestyle of a person influences the risk factors. It is seen that people who are obese and have diabetes or high blood pressure are highly prone for high cholesterol. Apart from that, person who does not follow a proper diet and smokes regularly may also become the victim of high cholesterol level.
How To Know If You Have High Cholesterol?
In most cases high cholesterol does not show any symptoms. For some, high cholesterol can present with other complaints or other medical conditions that usually coexist with high cholesterol. When a person suffers from high cholesterol other problems like high blood pressure, chest pain, angina, stroke etc. can be experienced. Apart from that, you may also feel pain in legs while walking. This may happen because of circulatory problems where the arteries may get blocked and it becomes unable to send blood to the legs, causing pain while walking. The most precise way to know if you have high cholesterol is getting the blood tests done for cholesterol. It is advisable to get the cholesterol levels checked at regular intervals as a preventive measure and for those under treatment or with greater risks.
How To Control High Cholesterol?
As lifestyle factors too are the contributing causes of high cholesterol, it is necessary to plan a healthy lifestyle. It is very essential to have brisk walking, swimming, bicycling, jogging, and other types of physical exercises that can help you to reduce the high cholesterol level. Apart from proper medicine, it is very important to control your diet and quit smoking. All these measures will certainly help you to reduce the cholesterol level. Different types of high cholesterol can determine the exact treatment that needs to be given. There are several medicines and their combinations available, hence following medical advice is important. The cholesterol levels can be lowered drastically in if you follow a healthy lifestyle and a healthy dietary habit. It is essential to incorporate exercises in the daily routine and quit habits like smoking, eating junk and fried foods to get your cholesterol down.
However, it also depends on how aggressive your treatment is, the genetic tendencies and how high the cholesterol levels are to determine the duration it would take to lower your cholesterol levels. Include monounsaturated fat based food and polyunsaturated food in your diet. Some of such types of foods are olive oil, nuts, cashew nuts, avocados, etc. Polyunsaturated food not only helps you to reduce the high cholesterol level but also helps in reducing the level of diabetes. Apart from that, it is very important to avoid trans-fat based food and eat soluble fiber as much as possible. The most important thing is to perform regular exercise and reduce body weight. Moreover, it is also important to avoid smoking and drinking alcohol.
Conclusion
Thus if you have high cholesterol level you must control your diet and follow a healthy lifestyle along with proper medicine. If you can maintain all the healthy diet and lifestyle factors in addition to prescribed medicine, you will be able to lower your cholesterol levels.
Also Read:
- What is Hypercholesterolemia (High Cholesterol): Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors
- Diet, Exercise and Yoga for Hypercholesterolemia (High Cholesterol)
- Yoga Poses for Treating High Cholesterol
- Cholesterol Basics & Ways to Control High Cholesterol
- Are Potatoes Good For High Cholesterol?
- What Happens To Your Body When You Have High Cholesterol?
- What Should You Avoid Eating With High Cholesterol?