Cholesterol Reviewer

High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) transports fats including total cholesterol from one cluster of cells to another where HDL cholesterol is preserved or disintegrated. HDL cholesterol transfers cholesterol from heart vessels, cardiac muscle, cerebral artery and other peripheral organs into the liver where the bile is formed from cholesterol. HDL cholesterol removes the excess of cholesterol from the cells.

The probability of the disease is reducing if the density of cholesterol is high and there is a lot of “good” cholesterol there in blood. “Good” cholesterol can capture “bad” one, forward it into the liver where “bad” cholesterol is utilized. Also, being the part of cell membranes, cholesterol is necessary for many essential processes like the process of cell division and organism regeneration processes. Cholesterol is necessary for growth and skeleton bones’ formation as it participates in synthesis of vitamin D which is aiding in fixation of calcium. Cholesterol is very important for fast-growing children.

The higher level of “good” lipoproteins the less probability of atherosclerosis. For example, “good” lipoproteins are increasing when we eat seafood, do sports. Such “fresh” idea as “Sport is health” can be revalued. Besides it was noted that some toxins contribute to the increase of high density lipoproteins. Alcohol is one of such toxins. Belgian scientists found out that people who consume grain alcohol in small doses have little risk of coronary disease and their level of “good” lipoproteins is higher compared with those people who don’t absolutely consume alcoholic drinks.

However, the effect disappears or becomes opposite if the dose is more than 50g of grain alcohol. More over, small dose of alcohol is harmful for people suffering from atherosclerosis and increased blood pressure.

For example, cholesterol is the peculiar material for producing all steroid hormones including sex hormones. In other words, sex hormones are altered cholesterols. Partially it is synthesized in the organism and partially it should come with the greasy food. As a result of this people who don’t consume cholesterol have problems with sexual drive. Sexual activity increases the level of “good” lipoproteins as well. This notion allowed introducing the rule of three “S” (sports, spiritus, sex) as preventive measures of cardiovascular diseases. Note that smoking leads to the reduction of high density lipoproteins.

Whatever non-cholesterol diet is and no matter how hard we try to replace “bad” cholesterol by “good” one, it’s impossible to be sure that we are absolutely protected from this disease. There is another factor causing such fatal disease except food. It’s so called immovable (passive) stress by which active stress of the primitive man was replaced. Now a man has no need to hunt. It’s difficult to change dramatically life style of a modern man. But it’s necessary to reconsider it: atherosclerosis of heart vessels is more frequent among brain workers than among manual workers. One hour of walk each day at an average pace is a good physical load for your body.

You don’t like visiting doctors and undergoing medical tests? Don’t want waste your time, and keep away from worries in case tests may reveal that something is wrong with you? Many people prefer considered themselves healthy without seeing a doctor, and find out that they have deceases, if they have any, as later as possible. They are like ostriches that bury their heads into the sand at the sign of danger. The reasonable solution is to meet the ailment halfway and get over it, until it gets over you.

Should we analyze the blood for cholesterol ratio?

All adults above 20 must check their cholesterol ratio at least once in 5 years. Men older 45 and women above 55 are to check it more often; it also refers to those whose relatives have high cholesterol ratio. With the help of usual blood test your doctor can measure the ratio of your total cholesterol and hdl cholesterol.

There are following forms of cholesterol in blood: (i) total cholesterol; (ii) ldl cholesterol and ; (iii) hdl cholesterol.

You should do biochemical blood analysis on cholesterol ratio once a year. You can prevent atherosclerosis which may result in heart attack and stroke by controlling its rate. Look carefully after the rate of total (serum) cholesterol. If the result of blood test is 5,2 millimole\l (or 200 mg\dl) or lower, don’t worry: the rate is normal, atherosclerosis doesn’t threaten you the next one or two years.

The ratio from 5,2 to 6,5 millimole\l (200-250 mg\dl) shows that you are at risk of the atherosclerosis development. The result from 6,5 to 8 millimole\l (250-300 mg\dl) – is diagnosed as moderate hypercholesterolaemia. The rate above 8 millimole\l (300 mg\dl) indicates severe hypercholesterolaemia

If your cholesterol ratio exceeds the norm, you will have to undergo the dilated analysis called “lipidic triad”. It helps to find out the rate of “good” and “bad” cholesterol. The rate of “Bad” one must not exceed the level of 3, 4 millimole\l, and the “good” one - drop lower than 1, 6 millimole\l. If the rate of the latter drops lower, you are on the way to the atherosclerosis, even if the total cholesterol rate is normal.

Blood test from finger

You can have breakfast before clinical blood analysis (except the test on sugar content in the peripheral blood). Don’t eat fatty food before going to bed, in order not to provoke leukocytosis – high level of leukocytes. You must not drink alcoholic drinks, bathe in the sun, undergo physiotherapeutic procedures, have X-ray for 2-3 days before doing this analysis; otherwise the results will be vague.

Blood test from vein

The biochemical blood analysis is carried out between 7 to 10 a.m., not earlier than in 12 hours after the last meal (including drinking coffee and tea). You must stop taking medicines for several days before the test. If you didn’t do this, let your doctor know about it.

During large-scale scientific researches, in which hundreds of thousands of people have been examined for decades, researchers found out that regardless of the age of a patient there exist a certain risk factors which greatly increase the chances of the development of diseases associated with atherosclerosis.

The most hazardous of them are: high level of cholesterol and blood pressure, smoking. Obesity and diabetes may develop later. Negative effect of one factor is aggravated by others - that is why their combination is extremely dangerous.

However, if you will be able to reduce each risk factor, for example, to lower cholesterol level, blood pressure, excessive weight and give up smoking, in this case the general probability to have cardiovascular deceases will reduce, and the development of atherosclerosis will slow down, maximum effect is achieved when you reduce the cholesterol ratio.

What cholesterol ratio doctors considered being normal today?

All depends on the age. For newborn the ratio is 1,3-2,6 millimole\l, for babies from 1 to 2 - 1,8-4,9 millimole\l , for children from 2 to 14 - 3,7-5,2 millimole\l, for adults - 3,9-5,2 millimole\l. According to doctors’ findings, the adult cholesterol ratio from 5,2 to 6,5 millimole\l is an insignificant abnormality; from 6,6 to 7,8 millimole\l - moderate abnormality; if the level exceeds 7,8 millimole\l it may be a sign of severe hypercholesterolaemia. But this is a mere theory, what’s in practice? Why heighten cholesterol ratio is hazardous? What makes the doctors say that all adults must know their cholesterol ratio and check it regularly?

According to the official statistics, high cholesterol ratio (hypercholesterolaemia) promotes the development of atherosclerosis plaques on vascular walls of blood vessels upon which later form thrombus. If such thrombus comes off and falls into the blood flow, it may lead to embolism in vital organs and cause the development of a number of diseases. Sometimes thrombus won’t stop growing and close vessel’s lumen like a cork.

The blood stream stops, organ’s tissues die off without oxygen and nutrients. If this occurs in the heart - myocardial infarction develops, and the brain is affected - then cerebral stroke may happen.

On the assumption of the above said doctors recommend to lower cholesterol ratio, if it exceeds the normal value. They advise to start with a life-style change: be more active, give up smoking, and follow the low cholesterol diet. If this doesn’t help, doctors will prescribe special drugs to reduce the cholesterol ratio.

At present there are four types of such medicines. These are: statin which blocks cholesterol development in the body; niacin that reduces the synthesis of lipoprotein by the liver; fibronolytic agents, activating enzymes required for the destruction of cholesterol and bile acids sequestrants, which accelerate the transformation of cholesterol into bile acids in the liver.

The chief advice is that you should not practice self-treatment being encouraged by ads about safe and miraculous food supplements. Among all food supplements the only effective are those containing well-known food-items affecting the cholesterol, for example, medicines with soluble dietary fiber. But a well balanced diet is more effective.

Cardiologists of the world hold the opinion that every person senior than 20 years must know his own level of cholesterol, i.e. make a necessary blood test. If cholesterol level is high – this is dangerous, as this is the factor which contributes to the development of atherosclerosis and hard cardiovascular diseases. Level of cholesterol can be lowered by observing simple rules: be more active, quit smoking and make your food healthy.

Basis of all diets on lowering cholesterol is decrease in consumption of fats of animal origin (lardy meat, by-products, butter, fat dairy products, fat grades of cheese, pastry and etc.). Replace most part of animal fats with vegetable oils: sunflower-seed oil, olive oil, corn oil.

Choose only soft grade of margarine (in cans, not in packages). You may use in moderate (limited) quantity low in fat dairy products, low-fat cheeses (not more than 30% of fattiness), lean meat, pastry containing vegetable fats or soft grades of margarine, fried fish, fried only on vegetable fats potatoes.

You may eat only 2 boiled eggs a week. Extend you menu with low fat and cholesterol products: coarse bread, any porridges, macaroni products, skimmed dairy products, various vegetable dishes and fruits.

From the range of meat products you should prefer chicken, turkey, veal. Remove fat and skin from the poultry before cooking it. Eat more fish, particularly sea fish, by introducing two fish days a week or one fish dish every day. Chose desserts without fat, cream and sugar, best choice - fruit desserts.

Pay extra attention to regular consumption of products which decrease cholesterol level in the organism and facilitate its excretion. Such products contain soluble cellulose and tend to form jelly substance when boiling. These are oat flakes (rolled oats), apples, plums, different berries.

Eat regularly bean products (haricot, pea). When cooking avoid frying on oil and better stick to boiling, stewing, and baking. Use utensils with special covering since there is no need to add grease during the cooking process. By carefully following such a diet you can reach lowering cholesterol in the blood by 10-12%.

If following of this diet within 6-8 weeks doesn’t lead to the desirable lowering level of total cholesterol in the blood (less than 5 millimole/l) and the risk of the development of the diseases caused by atherosclerosis is high, physician may raise the question about prescription of medicines that lower cholesterol.

Doctors more often prescribe statins from the range of medicines that lower level of cholesterol in blood. These drugs in average doses lower cholesterol by 20-40%. But the most important that attracts doctors to prescription of statins is the results of the performed researches. It showed that statines not only lower cholesterol, but also ease the course of the disease caused by atherosclerosis, decrease the mortality from the cardiovascular diseases and general death rate. Advanced studies of heart vessels revealed that treatment by statines checks the growth of atherosclerosis plaques and even causes its size reduction.

Cholesterol is a lipoid which is vital for humans. It is contained in all membranes of body cells, lots of hormones can be found in neural tissue, and finally, cholesterol plays an important role in hormone synthesis. The body creates more than sufficient of cholesterol for these needs.

Cholesterol also comes to our bodies with food and very often in unreasonable quantities. General source of this substance is fatty animal products. Excess quantity of these products in human diet leads to the increase of cholesterol in the blood and at this point cholesterol becomes your mortal foe rather than your friend.

First sign of high level of cholesterol is a rise of blood pressure, heart pains when you are anxious and you may start experiencing certain problems while walking. Intermittent lameness may be evoked by atherosclerosis plaques in legs’ arteries.

Anyone should limit consumption of fatty food irrespectively of the results of analysis. This should be done at least as prevention, because the balance can be broken any moment, particularly if it is an aged man with overweight problems, pernicious habits and sedentary stressful life.

The less animal fats like milk fat will be included in your menu, the more chances you have to preserve your health. It’s not necessary to refuse totally from meat and dairy products. In such a case, you’ll deprive yourself of healthy cholesterol too. As a fact, strict adepts of vegetarianism who have never eaten fatty or even leanest meat do have heart attacks and apoplexies.

Actually, cholesterol is a strongly required substance for the organism. It is contained in membranes of cells, employed in hormone synthesis and is necessary for our brain. You should follow the mixed diet which combines animal and vegetable fats. Ideally, you should avoid consuming high cholesterol nutrition like sturgeon caviar, beef brains, hard cheese and egg yolk.

At last there’re new supplements which help to lower cholesterol levels: Lopid, Zetia and other.

Here is the list of high cholesterol foods:

- Dairy butter, meat fat, lard, suet, palm and coconut oil, artificially saturated hard fat including culinary and vegetable oil, margarine.

- Visible meat fat, mutton brisket, fat pork from the belly, salami, spread, duck meat, goose meat.

- Eggs.

- Unskimmed milk, condensed milk, sour cream, fat cheese, fat curdled milk, kefir.

- Caviar.

- Potatoes fried with animal fat.

- Pastry, ice-cream.

- Soups based on fatty broth.

- Sour cream sauces, mayonnaise or other fatty dressing.