Most people have heard that cholesterol is something we need to worry about but most of us dont really understand why. Cholesterol does some important work for the body and is needed in all of our cells for healthy functioning.
The liver is responsible for producing cholesterol and thats all the cholesterol we need. We also get cholesterol from some of the food we eat. No, not the plants and vegetables but from the animal foods like dairy, meat and eggs.
Some complicated processes are involved in transporting cholesterol from the liver to where its needed in the body. Because cholesterol doesnt dissolve in the blood, it needs a special kind of protein called a lipoprotein to carry it in the bloodstream and get it to all parts of the body. One kind of lipoprotein, called LDL, carries the cholesterol from the liver to the body and another, called HDL, carries the unused cholesterol back to the liver to get flushed from the body.
Ordinarily, your HDL is balanced by your LDL. The problem comes when there isnt enough HDL to handle all the extra cholesterol that got delivered by the LDL but wasnt needed. Too much LDL can sometimes be traced back to those fatty animal based foods in our diet.
The end result is that too much cholesterol gets dumped into the blood without a way to get back. Since the excess cholesterol doesnt have anywhere to go it slowly gets absorbed by the walls of the arteries. Since anything unusual like this is considered to be a hostile invader, the white blood cells start to attack the cholesterol seeping into the inner walls of the arteries. This is when the real problems start.
During the attack on the cholesterol by the white blood cells, the arteries get damaged and start to get inflamed. The cholesterol attached on the walls of the artery meanwhile is forming a hard shell called plaque. The increase in plaque causes the artery to get narrower, the white blood cells attack even harder and this causes even more plaque and even more inflammation.
Meanwhile, the heart has to work harder than ever before. The arteries are narrower and weaker because of the plaque buildup. If the arteries get too weak they can burst and cause blood clots. The end result of all this are two very serious problems. If a blood clot clogs up circulation of blood to the brain the result is a stroke. The second problem is that the reduced amount of blood getting to the heart can end up causing a heart attack.
Fortunately, there are a couple of things that we can do to maintain healthy levels of cholesterol in our bodies. We know that eliminating smoking and avoiding drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can help to increase the levels of HDL. We also know that a program of regular exercise will boost HDL production in the body.
High cholesterol and the attendant risk of stroke and heart disease can be brought under control. Consult with your doctor to find out what you can do to keep your heart healthy and minimize your risk of stroke.
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