What Is Cholesterol? Symptoms and Treatment of High Cholesterol

Cholesterol, which has been the subject of many debates in the fields of nutrition and health in recent years, is effective in the development of cardiovascular diseases that many people struggle with today. In addition to being synthesized in the body, cholesterol, which is also taken into the body through nutrition with animal-based foods, paves the way for the formation of many chronic diseases when its level in the blood remains high.

For this reason, everyone who cares about their health, especially those with high cholesterol, needs to keep their cholesterol levels in balance and eat healthily.

Cholesterol is a type of lipid fat produced by cells and found in the blood, responsible for hormone production, digestion, and cell membrane formation. Cholesterol, which has a waxy, fat-like structure, also helps in the creation of vitamin D.

The human body produces three-quarters of its cholesterol needs, which is about 1 gram per day, on its own. The main center for cholesterol production in the body is the liver. In fact, the liver provides about 70% of daily cholesterol production. The remaining part of the cholesterol produced in the body is made in the adrenal glands, small intestine, and reproductive organs. One-quarter of cholesterol is obtained from animal foods such as egg yolks, cheese, and meat.

Cholesterol, which is responsible for cell durability, is a substance that is essential not only for health but for life itself. Even reproduction and multiplication occur through cholesterol. Testosterone and estrogen cannot be produced without cholesterol.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CHOLESTEROL?

An increase in blood cholesterol levels causes a number of symptoms. Symptoms of high cholesterol that can be counted among these include chest pain, pain and tingling in the legs, yellow bumps around the eyes due to fat accumulation, nausea, fatigue, slow healing of wounds, dizziness, shortness of breath, and skin pallor. If cholesterol is excessively high, hypertension and stroke can also occur as a result of cholesterol.

• Yellow fat accumulation on and around the eyelids

• Chest pain (angina)

• Speech impairment

• Tingling and pain in the legs

• High blood pressure

• Slower than normal healing of wounds

• Dizziness

• Nausea

• Fatigue and weakness

• Shortness of breath

• Pallor of the skin

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF CHOLESTEROL?

Cholesterol, which is necessary for the construction and maintenance of cell membranes, is mainly divided into two types: good and bad. Since cholesterol is a fatty substance, it does not dissolve in water under normal conditions. Therefore, it is combined (packaged) with a protein in the liver to dissolve and be transported in the blood. This combination of cholesterol and protein is called a lipoprotein. Among these; LDL-cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein) is bad cholesterol. HDL-cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein) is good cholesterol.

HDL CHOLESTEROL

Good cholesterol, or HDL cholesterol, collects cholesterol from tissues and ensures it is excreted. Among cholesterol types, HDL helps your cardiovascular system stay healthy. It actually helps remove LDL from the arteries. Indeed, HDL carries bad cholesterol back to the liver, where it is broken down.

High HDL cholesterol levels are protective against heart attack and stroke, while low HDL cholesterol test results increase these risks.

LDL CHOLESTEROL

LDL, one of the types of cholesterol, is known as "bad" cholesterol because rising LDL values lead to the hardening of the arteries. First, it can narrow blood vessels by making it difficult for oxygen-rich blood to flow through the body. Second, it can lead to blood clots, blocking blood flow and causing a heart attack or stroke.

Bad cholesterol, or LDL cholesterol, carries it to tissues and causes accumulation on the walls of the arteries. Normalizing bad cholesterol is not enough. Good cholesterol needs to be increased.

It is necessary to know the level of not only bad cholesterol but also good cholesterol. Another fat checked in the blood is triglyceride. Triglyceride, like cholesterol, is a fat that dissolves in the blood. The relationship between blood triglyceride levels and atherosclerosis is not as clear as it is with cholesterol.

WHAT DOES CHOLESTEROL DO? WHAT ARE ITS FUNCTIONS?

The functions of cholesterol include protecting the body against microbes under the skin, strengthening red blood cells and nerve tissues, and regulating the water balance in the body. For a healthy life, it is very important to keep cholesterol levels at the required level. The functions of cholesterol in the body can be listed as follows;

• Contributes to the structure of cell walls

• Creates digestive bile acids in the intestine

• Allows the body to produce vitamin D

• Enables the production of certain hormones (reproductive-cortisol) in the body

WHY DO CHOLESTEROL VALUES RISE?

Although cholesterol is produced in the liver, it is taken into the body through animal foods. Excessive consumption of these foods and eating foods containing trans fats cause high cholesterol. Being overweight and a sedentary lifestyle also cause high cholesterol. Overweight people often have a high triglyceride level. The reasons for the rise in cholesterol values can be listed as follows:

• Not exercising

• Sedentary lifestyle

• Obesity

• Family medical history can also raise cholesterol.

Some diseases can also cause cholesterol to increase. These include hypothyroidism, liver diseases, non-microbial inflammatory diseases of the kidney, diabetes, obesity, and certain medications.

High levels of cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol in the blood are a risk for the patient, and high cholesterol is a cardiovascular risk factor. Low HDL-cholesterol (good cholesterol) is also a risk. Because in patients with this risk, the probability of diseases such as heart attack, stroke, and vascular occlusion is higher.

HOW IS CHOLESTEROL LOWERED?

To keep cholesterol levels in balance, attention should be paid to nutrition; one should be careful when consuming animal foods containing saturated fats, red meat, butter, and delicatessen products, and olive oil, hazelnut oil, sunflower oil, and soybean oil should be preferred for oil use. The 3 most important elements for lowering cholesterol are exercise, diet, and weight loss.

Exercising

Even if not every day of the week, a 30-minute physical activity should be targeted on most days when possible. Regular exercise raises HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) and lowers LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol). Exercise is especially important for people with a large waist circumference and who are overweight (waist circumference greater than 102 cm for men and 88 cm for women) and who have high triglycerides and/or low HDL levels.

Diet

In a cholesterol diet, fatty foods and saturated fats should be avoided. During the diet, olive oil should be preferred over butter and margarine. Ready-made and frozen foods should be avoided.

Losing weight

Getting rid of excess weight can help lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and is especially important for people who have a number of risk factors, such as those who are overweight and have high triglycerides and/or low HDL levels.

If the expected drop in cholesterol has not been achieved as a result of lifestyle changes, the doctor may recommend starting medication. At this stage, the continuity of lifestyle changes is essential to reduce the risk of many diseases. Treatment for high cholesterol must be accompanied by changes in living conditions. Medication applied without this is not a good solution.

What should cholesterol values be in children?

Although cholesterol values are not given much importance in children, high cholesterol has been among the most common health problems in children in recent years. Since the problems that high cholesterol values can cause occur over a long period, high cholesterol does not cause a noticeable symptom in childhood.

If there is a high cholesterol problem in the mother and father, the probability of their children having a high cholesterol problem increases. Because familial predisposition is also effective in high cholesterol. There are certain cholesterol limits for people between the ages of 2-19. While 170 mg/dl is accepted as the normal value for children, 170-199 is stated as the borderline value. Values above 200 are considered high. It is essential to bring high cholesterol under control during childhood. Because high cholesterol is a factor that triggers cardiovascular diseases. Indeed, bringing high cholesterol under control can prevent cardiovascular diseases that may occur in the future.

Although cholesterol value is not considered important in children, there are certain limits for people between the ages of 2-19. These are the total cholesterol measurement values accepted for children. While 170 mg/dl is accepted as the normal value, 170-199 is accepted as the borderline value, and values above 200 are considered high. (Memorial Health Group)