Causes of high cholesterol in healthy person ? High cholesterol can bring with it many major health complications that can decrease the quality and length of life.
It is important to note however that cholesterol is a bit more complex than either having it high or low.
You see, your body interacts with two main forms of cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol.
HDL vs LDL
HDL cholesterol is actually considered a good form of cholesterol. LDL, on the other hand, is considered bad.
That's because LDL in large quantities can cause major complications, especially to the cardiovascular system.
HDL counteracts this by acting as an LDL clean up crew, taking the excess LDL from your bloodstream and transporting it to the liver, where it can actually be made useful.
So having high LDL levels is a problem, it can cause the following conditions:
- Cardiovascular disease
- heart attack
- high blood pressure
- kidney disease
- peripheral vascular disease
- Stroke
- Visual impairment
But how do you get to even know that you have high cholesterol in the first place?.
Diagnosing High Cholesterol
The most accurate way to measure cholesterol is to have a lipid panel done on you. This is a simple blood test conducted by a doctor.
In this test, your HDL, LDL, and Triglyceride levels are measured out to give an accurate account of your cholesterol situation.
Before the test, you will likely need to refrain from eating or drinking for an advised period.
This is one very precise way of getting an idea of where you are with your cholesterol, but there’s another more everyday way you can kind of gauge your cholesterol without too much prodding and pricking in a doctor’s room.
This article will look at ways you can begin to assess your potential cholesterol level by analyzing your lifestyle and singling out known risk factors of high cholesterol.
By high cholesterol, we are referring to LDL cholesterol or Low-Density Lipoprotein.
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And with that said, let's jump right into it!
Causes Of High Cholesterol In Healthy Person
1. Being overweight
Being overweight is the first clear indicator of impending high cholesterol. the excess body fat is a known risk factor in numerous diseases. Having high levels of LDL is just one of them.
This is because of the amount of fasting plasma lipids in your body increases. These are the fats in your bloodstream available during a fasted state. In a healthy body, these blood fat levels are low unless you’ve just eaten.
An overweight or obese person generally has an excess of blood fat at all times.
2. Unhealthy Diet
Probably the most obvious and direct cause of high LDL levels is a poor diet.
Most people today are exposed to highly processed, nutrient-deficient foods. This has become a major problem, leading to a completely new category of disease humans were once not subject to.
It has also lead to an increase in LDL prevalence. That's because our diets are now rich in processed, refined carbohydrates and trans fats, leading to an increase in LDL.
We also don’t nourish ourselves with enough of the good stuff, such as healthy unsaturated fats and nutrient-dense whole foods.
These foods turn the tide on LDL, raising HDL for a healthier body.
3. Lack of Exercise
Not exercising regularly is definitely one way to experience a rise in cholesterol. Exercise has always been a complement to good nutrition. Where good nutrition and regular exercise meet, health will follow.
But when we don’t work out, and especially if our diet is already a drag, we can expect a rise in LDL levels.
Exercise stimulates the cardiovascular system, making it more dynamic and active. This prevents the formation of plaque since there is constant movement on the endothelium (inner arterial walls).
4. Smoking
Smoking is just bad, no matter how you look at it. If you’re a smoker, you’ve most likely made peace with the fact that you are harming yourself. There is no way of rationalizing any healthy outcomes from the habit.
As it turns out, smoking also leads to an increase in unhealthy cholesterol.
When you smoke, you inhale trace amounts of carbon monoxide. While not a lethal dose in itself, carbon monoxide is a toxin, and its effects on the circulation can have a significant long term impact.
Carbon monoxide from tobacco smoking, or smoking any combustible material leads to LDL build up in the arteries.
There is a misconception that only smoking cigarettes has negative impacts on respiratory and cardiovascular health.
This isn’t the case. The mere act of smoking combusted material is beyond the healthy threshold of lung activity and can lead to carbon monoxide intake.
The active ingredient of a smoked substance does not decide whether smoking is healthy or not.
5. Type II diabetes
Type II diabetes leads to an increase in LDL cholesterol.
That's because blood lipid levels increase due to a condition known as diabetic dyslipidemia.
This condition is linked to insulin resistance and leads to an abnormal level of blood triglycerides
When theses triglycerides build up, they cause a rise in LDL and a drop in HDL.
This can lead to any of the common complications associated with high cholesterol.
Active management of diabetes is your one and only option here.
Conclusion
While learning these risk factors can definitely give you a strong indication as to what your potential danger level is concerning cholesterol, you need to get tested to actually know.
That means getting a blood lipid panel done by a qualified medical professional.
You can also avoid the potential risk by implementing the lifestyle habits that directly counter these risk factors.
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