What is Cholesterol and how it is linked t heart attacks.

Cholesterol is a most decorative chemical of our medical sciences. A chemical compound, which is waxy, fat-like substance made by your liver. If there is too much cholesterol in the blood, it may form deposits (plaques) that collect on artery walls and make it become narrowed or blocked. If a plaque ruptures, a blood clot can form and these can reduce blood flow through an artery and gradual increase in blockages causes heart diseases later.

A lipid profile or lipid panel (other common names for a lipid panel include, Lipid test/Cholesterol panel/Coronary risk panel/Fasting lipid panel or non-fasting lipid panel) is a panel of blood tests used to find abnormalities in lipids/fats, such as cholesterol and triglycerides. Although fats are important for cell health, but they can be harmful when they build up in the blood.

What are the types of Cholesterol and normal lipid panel results?

The optimal level (measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood — mg/dL) for each of the first four standard tests in a lipid panel are as follows:

·       Total (overall) cholesterol: Below 200 mg/dL. (recommended to keep it below 130 for heart patients to reverse the blockages; Above 180 may have more chances of moving towards blockages)

·       High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol: Above 60 mg/dL known as “good cholesterol.” It helps decrease the buildup of LDL in your blood vessels.

·       Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol: Below 100 mg/dL (For people who have diabetes: Below 70 mg/dL). It is known as “bad cholesterol.” It can collect in your blood vessels and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

·       Triglycerides: Below 150 mg/dL. This type of fat come from the food we eat. Excess amounts of triglycerides in your blood are associated with cardiovascular disease and pancreatic inflammation.

·       VLDL cholesterol: It is a type of blood fat, which, is a “bad” form of cholesterol because, in excess, it causes plaque buildup (atherosclerosis) in your arteries. A normal VLDL level is below 30 mg/dL. If your VLDL is high, lifestyle changes and medication can help.

·       Total cholesterol to HDL ratios; A high total cholesterol to HDL ratio (divide the total cholesterol by the HDL level) indicates a higher risk for heart disease. A desirable ratio is 5:1, and an optimal ratio is 3.5:1. The lower this number is, the healthier a person's cholesterol levels are.

If your results are higher or lower than the target range, they may be classified as borderline-, intermediate, or high-risk for cardiovascular issues. In general, higher-than-normal levels of total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides and lower-than-normal levels of HDL can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

What causes the liver to produce more cholesterol?

Only about 20% cholesterol comes from the foods you eat. If you eat only 200 to 300 milligrams of cholesterol a day (one egg yolk has about 200 mg), your liver and intestines will produce an additional 800 milligrams per day from raw materials such as fat, sugars, and proteins. Cholesterol and other fats are carried in your bloodstream as spherical in the form of lipoproteins (LDL and HDL). People with high blood cholesterol are more likely to develop the Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and liver problems increase the likelihood of high cholesterol. Everyone has some cholesterol in their blood, but high levels can lead to a build-up of fat in your liver and damage the liver.

Only cholesterol and triglycerides are responsible for creating blockages in the heart. If we control their supply into the blood then, the chances of having heart attack will almost disappear.

What should my cholesterol levels be?

It is hard to tell whether you have high cholesterol without having a blood test, as there are usually no symptoms of high blood cholesterol. Total cholesterol levels should be 5mmol/L or less for healthy adults.

How to lower/reduce Cholesterol level?

We need to understand how we get cholesterol in our body. It comes only through animal foods not the plant-based foods and our body produces it as well. Therefore, we need to control the supplies of cholesterol and triglyceride producing foods.

1. Avoid foods (mostly animal foods) that raise cholesterol given their high saturated fat content: Such foods are red meat, like beef, pork, and lamb, as well as processed meats like sausage, full-fat dairy, like cream, whole milk, and butter, baked goods and sweets, fried foods, tropical oils such as palm oil and coconut oil. Instead, choose foods that contain unsaturated fats.

2.  Follow a healthy diet: Eat plenty plant-based foods and whole grain cereals.

3. Eliminate Trans fats or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil foods: such as margarines and store-bought cookies, crackers and cakes as they raise overall cholesterol levels.

4. Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, mackerel, herring, walnuts and flaxseeds) do not affect LDL cholesterol. However, they have other heart-healthy benefits, including reducing blood pressure

5. Increase soluble fiber. Soluble fiber such as oatmeal, kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, apples and pears can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream.

6.  Regular exercise: Moderate physical activity such as taking a brisk daily walk during your lunch hour, riding your bike to work, and playing a favorite sport are recommended. Work out or walking up to at least 30 minutes, five times a week or vigorous aerobic activity for 20 minutes three times a week can help raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol.

7. Give up smoking to improve your HDL cholesterol level.