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Cholesterol: Understanding Risks & Management

Cholesterol is an important component of cell membranes and is used to make vitamins and hormones, but high levels in the blood can be bad for health by settling on blood vessel walls and promoting clots. Cholesterol comes from foods and is made by the liver, traveling through the bloodstream carried by proteins called lipoproteins including LDLs that deliver cholesterol and HDLs that remove excess cholesterol. High cholesterol often runs in families so knowing family history is important for preventing disease through maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, and a low saturated and trans fat diet.

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7 views3 pages

Cholesterol: Understanding Risks & Management

Cholesterol is an important component of cell membranes and is used to make vitamins and hormones, but high levels in the blood can be bad for health by settling on blood vessel walls and promoting clots. Cholesterol comes from foods and is made by the liver, traveling through the bloodstream carried by proteins called lipoproteins including LDLs that deliver cholesterol and HDLs that remove excess cholesterol. High cholesterol often runs in families so knowing family history is important for preventing disease through maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, and a low saturated and trans fat diet.

Uploaded by

fafiv45582
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Cholesterol

We all need cholesterol. It is an important


component of cell membranes, and it is used
to make important vitamins and hormones.
But high levels of cholesterol in your blood
can be bad for your health.
Excess cholesterol can settle on the inner walls
of blood vessels, narrowing them and
promoting blood clots. Cholesterol build-up
and clots can slow down or even stop the ow
of blood passing through the vessels.
We get some of our cholesterol from foods
like eggs, dairy products, and red meat. But
our bodies also make cholesterol in an organ
called the liver.
Cholesterol Travels in Lipoproteins

Cholesterol level is measured in mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter). That is, the milligrams of
cholesterol in one deciliter, or one-tenth of a liter, of your blood. Your risk is normal if your total
cholesterol divided by your HDL is less than 5.

Whether it comes from the diet or is made by the liver, cholesterol travels through the
bloodstream to where it is needed. Because it is a lipid, like oil, cholesterol doesn't mix well with
our watery blood. So cholesterol must be carried through the blood stream by special proteins.
Cholesterol traveling with a protein is called a lipoprotein. Lipoproteins also transport fats.
Lipoproteins exist in different forms, including LDLs (Low-Density Lipoproteins) and HDLs (High-
Density Lipoproteins). LDLs deliver cholesterol to cells, whereas HDLs remove excess cholesterol
from the blood and bring it to the liver to be excreted. So HDLs are good to have around. A
healthy person will have more HDLs (good cholesterol) than LDLs (bad cholesterol).
Who's At Risk?

High cholesterol levels often run in families. You may be at risk if a close relative (parent,
grandparent, or sibling) has been diagnosed.
That's why it's important to know your family medical history. When you know you're at risk, you
can take steps to prevent disease.

Reducing The Risk

The best way to reduce your risk is by maintaining a healthy body weight, participating in regular
physical activity, and eating foods low in saturated and trans fats. Our bodies carry cholesterol in
both HDLs and LDLs. The types of fat we eat influence the balance between these good and bad
cholesteroltransporters.
A good rule of thumb is to eliminate trans fats from your diet, reduce saturated fats, and replace
them with unsaturated fats. However, for people whose bodies naturally make large amounts of
cholesterol, medications like statins may be the only way to decrease their cholesterol levels.

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