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Cholesterol and Coronary Heart Disease

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The presence of cholesterol in the blood is associated with higher risks of heart diseases. This could include the coronary heart condition, stroke or peripheral vascular illness. It is also linked to high blood pressure and diabetes. In all instances the root reason is that high cholesterol causes fatty plaques to accumulate in blood vessels throughout the body.

To avoid or treat these ailments, consult your physician. Also, you can take simple steps to reduce your cholesterol levels and increase your chance of getting the aforementioned diseases.

Cholesterol as well as Coronary Heart Disease

The most significant risk associated with the too high cholesterol lies in coronary heart diseases which could lead to death due to heart attacks. If your cholesterol levels are too high, cholesterol will build up inside the walls in your arterial walls. In time, this accumulation known as plaque can cause the hardening of arteries, which is known as atherosclerosis. The arteries that supply the heart may be narrowed in specific regions (focal shrinking) and reduce the flow of blood to the muscle of the heart. Cholesterol plaques break up and then float away into smaller blood vessels, and result in a complete or partial blockage. Sometimes , inflammation cells can be drawn to the damaged plaque, causing a narrowing in the plaque as well. The reduced blood flow may cause chest pain, known as angina, or an attack on the heart in the event that a blood vessel becomes completely blocked.

Cholesterol and Stroke

Cholesterol plaques aren’t only lining your blood vessels within the heart and around it however, they also narrow blood vessels that connect into your brain. If the blood vessel that carries cerebral blood is completely blocked and you suffer stroke.

Cholesterol as well as Peripheral Vascular Disease

Alongside your brain and heart the cholesterol plaque could cause problems in your legs as well as other locations beyond your heart and your brain (peripheral cardiovascular disease). The feet and legs are the most commonly affected. You may notice the calves getting crampy when you walk, but they will ease after a break. It’s similar to anginaIt operates in exactly the same way, however, it’s in your legs rather than your heart.

Cholesterol and Diabetes

The effects of diabetes can disrupt the balance between the levels of HDL which is also known as “good” cholesterol as well as LDL also known as “bad” cholesterol. People who have diabetes are more likely to be prone to LDL particles that adhere to arteries and cause damage to the walls of blood vessels more quickly. Glucose (a kind of sugar) is a lipoprotein that attaches to it (a cholesterol-protein package that permits cholesterol to pass throughout blood). Sugar-coated LDL stays in bloodstream longer, which can cause plaque to develop. Patients with diabetes, particularly those with type 2 diabetes may suffer from low HDL and elevated triglyceride (another type of fat in the blood) levels. Both of these can increase the risk of developing heart or arterial diseases.

Cholesterol and high blood pressure

Although the high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) may be related with cholesterol, medical professionals are still studying the exact mechanism. High cholesterol is believed to cause inflammation, and release of certain hormones which cause blood vessels to contract (or “constrict” and thus raise blood pressure. Doctors refer to it as “endothelial dysfunction” when blood vessels behave in this manner.

The high blood pressure can also be associated with heart disease.

Cholesterol , Erectile Dysfunction and Cholesterol

Erectile dysfunction happens the condition in which a man is unable to achieve or maintain an erection in sexual activity. In the long run the high cholesterol levels may cause a narrowing in the smaller blood vessels in the penis. They are supposed to stretch to permit more blood to flow for the erection (endothelial dysfunction once again). Furthermore, when you’re a victim of excessive LDL cholesterol in your body, the substance could accumulate in arteries and later join with other substances to form plaques that harden and narrows blood vessels (atherosclerosis). This could result in lower flow of blood to the penis and the heart and could lead to an erectile dysfunction.

5 steps to lower cholesterol and the Risks of Related Diseases

Simple modifications can reduce the cholesterol in your body and decrease the risk of developing conditions related to high cholesterol.

Get expert suggestions on how to improve your lifestyle. Your physician can assist you develop the right diet and exercising.

Give your diet a makeover. Choose foods such as oatmeal, walnutsand salmon, tuna, sardines and tofu. Avoid foods which are loaded with saturated and trans fats as well as simple sugars.

No smoking. It reduces the “good” (HDL) cholesterol. If you cut it out then you’ll get more of it. There are plenty of additional advantages for your entire body.

Move! Even small levels of activity such as one hour per day of walking vigorously helps you to manage weight. It also helps with other issues that can put your heart at risk of diseases, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Exercise can reduce the levels of triglycerides and also increase the levels of your “good” (HDL) cholesterol levels. Both are beneficial for your heart.

You should take your medication. Your physician may prescribe medications to lower cholesterol. Follow the directions for taking them. Questions? Talk to your pharmacist or doctor.