Although a controversy on whether cholesterol is bad or good, statistics show that cholesterol is vigorous and an essential item needed in the body, however too much of it can cause heart problems or even lead to death. For many years cholesterol has been both a friend and a foe. At normal levels, it is an essential substance of the body's normal functioning, but if it were to get the blood levels too high, it becomes a silent danger that leads to cholesterol heart attacks. Cholesterol serves with three main functions, it can be used by certain glands to manufacture steroids or cortisone. Like hormones, including sex hormones, it helps the liver to produce bile acids which are essential to the digestion of fats and most importantly its main …show more content…
Fats fall into two categories: saturated and unsaturated. Unsaturated fats can be either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Unsaturated fats are better for you than their saturated counterparts, since consuming saturated fats raises the levels of cholesterol in the blood. Saturated fats do this two ways: They help create more cholesterol in the liver, and they suppress LDL receptors on liver cells, reducing the speed of removal of LDL from the blood. Saturated fats are primarily found in foods of animal origin such as butter, milk, egg yolks and meat. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats, on the other hand , are liquids at room temperature. Foods that contain monounsaturated fats are polyunsaturated fats and may help to decrease your blood-cholesterol level if substituted for foods containing saturated fats.But fats are a necessary part of our diet .We need them to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and …show more content…
Some people take medicines called statins, in addition to lifestyle changes, to reduce their risk. Such as losing weight, eating healthier and increasing exercise because excess cholesterol can form plaque between layers of artery walls, making it a lot harder for your heart to circulate blood which can lead to a heart attack. Plaque can cause break open and cause blood clots.If a clot blocks an artery that feeds the brain, it also can cause strokes. Some people decide to start taking a statin right away. That's because their chance of having a heart attack or stroke is high, and statins can reduce this risk.For other people though it's not as clear if they need to take a
Statins are also another type of medication prescribed if you have a high blood cholesterol level, this lowers cholesterol. This medicine blocks the formation of cholesterol and increasing the number of LDL receptors in the liver, which helps remove the LDL cholesterol from your blood. This helps slow the progression of CHD, and will make having a heart attack less likely. However, not everyone is suitable for this medicine.
High cholesterol can be avoided with many different easy ways that benefits the body in other ways. According to studies from NHBLI, saturated fats and diets high in cholesterol should be avoided to lower cholesterol. Saturated fat is the main reason of high cholesterol. Saturated means that means that it contains liquid, or is a a watery type substance. Eating cholesterol directly is also a main reason for high cholesterol after a person eats a meal that is very high in cholesterol. Studies from NHBLI prove that being more physically active can reduce the chances of high
Unsaturated fatty acids are characterized with having at least one carbon double bonded with another carbon, losing the normal bond with hydrogen and the corresponding hydrogen. The number of double bonds, hydrogens, and carbons differ in structure of different types of fatty acids and cause the difference in function between the fatty acids. But even though most fatty acids are different from each other due to structure and function, all unsaturated fatty acids do have some things in common. They all enter the cell via the membrane and increase the fluidity of the plasma membrane, increasing overall cell health, and they all form unsaturated fats [3]. Unsaturated fats are made up of many different strands of different types of fatty acid. The type of unsaturated fatty acid I will be talking about today is an omega-3 fatty acid made up of three different types of fatty
Cholesterol is a lipid that helps manufacture vitamin D on the surface of the skin, produces hormones, maintains cell membranes, and possibly helps cell connections in the brain.3 Based on what is known about calcium transporting throughout the body we can infer that cholesterol also has a similar process. When there is an imbalance of cholesterol homeostasis we can have high density lipoprotein (HDL) which is known as good cholesterol, or low-density lipoproteins (LDL) which is known as bad cholesterol. Lipoproteins differ in size, shape, composition, function, and contribute to vascular
Saturated fats are most commonly found in meats, Haigh fat dairy products, and some plant based oils. While the majority of these items can be good for you, over consumption can increase your risk factors for chronic illness. Choose to eat all of these items in moderation to help reduce your risk factors. Even the healthiest of foods can fall into the category or of unhealthy if they are consumed in high quantities.
The role of diet is a very important aspect in the development and prevention of cardiovascular disease. High levels of cholesterol in the blood is strongly associated 3wit coronary artery disease. If you have a high level of cholesterol in your blood, you need to work with your doctor to make it lower, or face a high risk of heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular event. Most circulating cholesterol is produced by the liver and cannot be broken down as easily and by all means you should avoid trans fats which are found in many fast foods, junk foods, and commercial processed foods. Hydrogenated vegetable oils like margarine, certain coffee creamers, and vegetable shortening are also linked to heart disease. Some researchers suggest
ASSESMENT OF THE EFFECT OF STATINS IN LOWRING THE RISK OF STROKE AND PREVENTING CEREBRAL ISCHEMIA IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA
A molecule of dietary fat typically consists of several fatty acids (containing long chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms), bonded to a glycerol. They are typically found as triglycerides (three fatty acids attached to one glycerol backbone). Fats may be classified as saturated or unsaturateddepending on the detailed structure of the fatty acids involved. Saturated fats have all of the carbon atoms in their fatty acid chains bonded to hydrogen atoms, whereas unsaturated fats have some of these carbon atoms double-bonded, so their molecules have relatively fewer hydrogen atoms than a saturated fatty acid of the same length. Unsaturated fats may be further classified as monounsaturated (one double-bond) or polyunsaturated (many double-bonds). Furthermore, depending on the location of the double-bond in the fatty acid chain, unsaturated fatty acids are classified as omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids. Trans fats are a type of unsaturated fat with trans-isomer bonds; these are rare in nature and in foods from natural sources; they are typically created
Having too much cholesterol will cause atherosclerosis to a person. Atherosclerosis is the hardening of arteries which is caused by the deposited plaque, a hard substance, on the artery walls. It is usually a slow process that gets worse as a person gets older. The organ system most affected by high cholesterol is the circulatory system, or the blood vessels. When atherosclerosis affects the coronary arteries it will cause coronary artery disease, which puts a person at risk for having a heart attack. When atherosclerosis affects the blood vessels that supply the brain it will cause cerebral vascular disease, which puts a person at risk of having a stroke. Atherosclerosis may also block blood flow to other vital organs, including the kidneys and intestines.
Familial Hypercholesterolemia is an autosomal dominant genetic disease and so is not preventable. However, the sequelae of FH, such as heart attack and stroke, are preventable when the diagnosis is made early in life. Bouhairie (2015) investigated that lifestyle changes, such as adopting a low saturated fat and zero trans fat diets, and exercising regularly are important. In addition, the risk factors for heart attack and strokes, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, should be treated, and smoking must be avoided. These findings add to my idea that a healthier diet ultimately regulates the bodily functions, and how we are able to maintain our daily lives because of it. Medications are also required for FH treatment. It is recommended that patients start treatment at an earlier age because Familial Hypercholesterolemia can lead towards a decrease in cardiovascular activities and even death in those diagnosed with the disease.
While cholesterol is a commonly used word in healthcare, most people do not know what it means. Cholesterol is a “fat-soluble steroid alcohol that is produced in the liver from saturated fats and obtained from animal fats and oils in the diet” (Wells, 2012). Cholesterol is used to make certain hormones, like estrogen and testosterone, and aids in digesting fats. Cholesterol is a combination of a steroid ring structure and a hydroxyl group (Figure 1). It is important to note that there are two types of cholesterol: LDL, which is low-density lipoprotein and HDL which stand for high-density lipoprotein. LDL is considered the “bad cholesterol” because it contributes to fatty buildup in the arteries which can later lead to heart disease or a
You may think having cholesterol in your body is a bad thing, but your body actually needs normal levels of cholesterol to keep you healthy. Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance that is found in every cell of your body. Cholesterol is especially abundant in your cell membranes (sheet-like structures that separate the inside of your cells from the outside environment) where it helps maintain the integrity of the membranes and allows your cells to communicate with each other. Your body also uses cholesterol to make hormones and bile salts. Bile salts are substances that are used in digestion to break down food. What might surprise you the most is that when you expose your skin to sunlight, cholesterol turns itself into vitamin D.
Unhealthy diets that include animal fat and other fatty food elevate the production of cholesterol in the body resulting
Before we consider the role of statins in people with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), it is important to understand the pathophysiology of CHD and its impact on people’s health. Coronary Heart disease is a condition in which fatty deposits accumulate in the cells lining the wall of a coronary artery, therefore obstructing the blood flow. Fatty deposits (called atheromas or plaques) build up gradually in the coronary arteries (a process called atherosclerosis) and bulge into the arteries, narrowing them and diminishing the blood supply to the heart muscle (myocardium)(Taylor
Cholesterol, a lipid that lives in cell membranes and synthesizes hormones and bile salts, is made in the liver, the body makes all of the cholesterol that it needs, but it can also be found in animal proteins. There are two different types of cholesterol; the good cholesterol, High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and the bad cholesterol, Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (American Heart Association, 2014). LDL and HDL are lipoproteins that carry the cholesterol where it needs to go in the body. When a person has a higher than normal amount of LDL cholesterol he or she has a higher risk of plaque growth and atherosclerosis. HDL cholesterol helps to remove LDL cholesterol, helping to bring it back down to a normal level, in turn helping