What health risks come from cholesterol?
What health risks come from cholesterol?
High cholesterol is linked with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. That can include coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. High cholesterol has also been tied to diabetes and high blood pressure.
What is the risk level of cholesterol?
Cholesterol chart for adults
| Total cholesterol | LDL cholesterol | |
|---|---|---|
| Good | Less than 200 (but the lower the better) | Less than 100; below 70 if coronary artery disease is present |
| Borderline to moderately elevated | 200–239 | 130–159 |
| High | 240 or higher | 160 or higher; 190 considered very high |
| Low | n/a | n/a |
What are the dangers of high cholesterol levels?
The main danger associated with high cholesterol is atherosclerosis. This can affect any artery of any organ but it is most dangerous when the arteries supplying the vital organs are affected. The heart and brain are at greatest risk. When these organs stop functioning for even just a few minutes then death can occur.
How is high cholesterol linked to atherosclerosis?
But disease or injury — including diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol — can damage this lining, paving the way for atherosclerosis. Scientists aren’t sure how high cholesterol injures arteries, Gotto says, but he explains one theory: The fatty acids carried by LDL become oxidized and injure blood vessel walls.
How does high cholesterol cause hardening of the arteries?
It plays a major role in the development of atherosclerosis, or hardening and narrowing of the arteries, which in turn raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. When doctors talk about high cholesterol, they don’t mean the amount of cholesterol a person gets from food, but rather how much of the substance is circulating in the blood.
Why are family members more likely to have high cholesterol?
Family members share genes and often also share behaviors, lifestyles, and environments that can influence their health and their risk for high cholesterol, heart disease, and other related conditions. If you have a family history of high cholesterol, you are more likely to have high cholesterol.
What harm does cholesterol do to the body?
While you need some cholesterol for your brain to function optimally, too much of it can be damaging. Excess cholesterol in the arteries can lead to strokes – a disruption in blood flow that can damage parts of the brain, leading to loss of memory, movement, difficulty with swallowing and speech and other functions.
What cholesterol level is dangerous to health?
Although LDL-C is considered to be the more “dangerous” type of cholesterol, it has to be also be viewed in the backdrop of the HDL-C levels. When are cholesterol levels dangerously high? Any blood cholesterol level, known as hypercholesterolemia, within the high range (above 6.2 mmol/L or 240 mg/dL and above) should be considered dangerous.
Is high cholesterol putting your health at risk?
As the amount of cholesterol in your blood increases, so does the risk to your health. High cholesterol contributes to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases , such as heart disease and stroke. That’s why it’s important to have your cholesterol tested, so you can know your levels.
Regardless of the cause, high cholesterol poses dangers. It plays a major role in the development of atherosclerosis , or hardening and narrowing of the arteries, which in turn raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.