Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in your blood and in your cells. Your liver makes the majority of the cholesterol in your body. The rest comes from foods you consume. Cholesterol journeys in your blood wrapped in packages called lipoproteins.
Cholesterol comes in 2 types:
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the "bad," unhealthy type of cholesterol. LDL cholesterol can build up in your arteries and form fatty, waxy deposits called plaques.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is the "good," healthy type of cholesterol. It transports excess cholesterol out of your arteries to your liver, which eliminates it from your body.
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Cholesterol itself isn't bad. Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormonal agents, vitamin D, and digestive fluids. Cholesterol also assists your organs function correctly.
Yet having too much LDL cholesterol can be an issue. High LDL cholesterol with time can harm your arteries, add to cardiovascular disease, and increase your risk for a stroke. Getting your cholesterol examined at routine medical professional sees and reducing your heart illness threat with diet plan, workout, way of life changes, and medication can help reduce issues associated with heart problem and enhance lifestyle.
Cardiovascular and circulatory systems
When you have too much LDL cholesterol in your body it can develop in your arteries, blocking them and making them less versatile. Hardening of the arteries is called atherosclerosis. Blood does not flow too through stiff arteries, so your heart has to work harder to push blood through them. With time, as plaque builds up in your arteries, you can establish heart illness.
Plaque accumulation in coronary arteries can disrupt the circulation of oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle. This might cause chest pain called angina. Angina isn't a heart attack, however it is a temporary disruption of blood circulation. It's a warning that you're at threat for a heart attack. A piece of plaque can eventually break off and form a clot or the artery may continue to end up being narrowed which can completely block blood flow to your heart, resulting in a heart attack. , if this process occurs in the arteries going to the brain or within the brain it can lead to a stroke.
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Plaque can likewise obstruct the flow of blood to arteries that supply blood to your intestinal system, legs, and feet. This is called peripheral arterial illness (PAD).
Endocrine system
Your body's hormone-producing glands use cholesterol to make hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, and cortisol. Hormonal agents can also have an impact on your body's cholesterol levels. Research study has shown that as estrogen levels rise during a female's menstrual cycle, HDL cholesterol levels also increase, and LDL cholesterol levels decline. This might be one reason that a woman's threat for heart disease increases after menopause, when estrogen levels drop.
Decreased production of thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) causes a boost in overall and LDL cholesterol. Excess thyroid hormonal agent (hyperthyroidism) has the opposite impact. Androgen deprivation therapy, which lowers levels of male hormones to stop prostate cancer growth, can raise LDL cholesterol levels. A deficiency of development hormone can likewise raise LDL cholesterol levels.