Cholesterol

Why do some people have high blood cholesterol level?

Various factors can cause unhealthy cholesterol levels

• Heredity
• Age and gender
• Diet - saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol
• Overweight/Obesity
• Physical inactivity

Where does the cholesterol come from?

Our liver produces most of the cholesterol found in our body; the rest of the cholesterol is contributed by the foods we eat.

Dietary cholesterol comes only from foods of animal origin, such as liver and other organ meats; egg yolks (but not the whites, which have no cholesterol); shrimp; and whole milk dairy products, including butter, cream, and cheese.

Are there different types of cholesterol in the blood? How can they affect me?

Cholesterol circulates in the bloodstream in packages called lipoproteins, which is a combination of cholesterol and protein. There are 2 main kinds of lipoproteins:

• Low density lipoprotein (LDL), commonly known as “bad” cholesterol because it carries cholesterol to tissues, including the arteries.
• High density lipoprotein (HDL), which is also called the “good” cholesterol because it takes cholesterol from tissues to the liver, hence removing it from the body.

If there is too much cholesterol in the blood, some of the excess can become trapped in artery walls. Over time, this builds up as ‘plaque’. The plaque can narrow vessels and make them less flexible, a condition called atherosclerosis or “hardening of the arteries”. This can happen to blood vessels anywhere in the body, including those of the heart, which are called the coronary arteries. When atherosclerosis affects the coronary arteries, the condition is called coronary heart disease or coronary artery disease.