High Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fat synthesized by your body and is present in your blood. It is used by your body to build healthy cells, produce hormones, vitamins and bile (to digest fat). Cholesterol is obtained from the food we eat or an be produced by the liver. There are two main types of cholesterol –high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which is good for our bodies, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is considered “bad” cholesterol. High levels of LDL is caused by consuming food containing saturated and the list of ways that LDL can be causes trans fats, obesity, being inactive, familial history, age and underlying medical conditions. If the amount of cholesterol exceeds a certain limit (above 240 units), it starts accumulating in blood vessels and hinders the flow of blood through them. High cholesterol does not have specific symptoms, and can only be detected through regular blood tests such as fasting cholesterol test, simple cholesterol test and low density cholesterol (LDL) test.

These tests alone are not sufficient to know your risk for plaque formation. Many other factors are involved in plaque formation, particularly the descriptors of your LDL cholesterol (density, size, and particle number), inflammation levels, and cholesterol absorption in the intestines.

High cholesterol can be treated by making healthy lifestyle changes. The various lifestyle changes include

• Eating a healthy diet consisting of lean meats, fish, vegetables, high fiber and whole grains.
• Quitting smoking.
• Exercising regularly and walking for at least 30 minutes a day.
• Losing excess weight.

The standard treatment for elevated cholesterol includes statin medications and cholesterol absorption inhibitors. At Healthy Living Dallas, our goals is to change the composition of your cholesterol, to help reduce the amount of cholesterol your body is making in your liver, and to use nutrition and lifestyle as the first line defense for these conditions. If necessary, we can use prescriptions for short-term protection as long as we’re working on a long-term solution.