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What Damage Does High Cholesterol Actually Do?

Published in November 1st, 2009
Posted in Wellness

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With so many advertisements on radio and television promoting prescriptions to lower cholesterol, as well as ads for food products that help lower cholesterol, it is nearly impossible not to realize that high cholesterol is considered a bad thing.

Unfortunately, not everyone realizes why it is important to monitor cholesterol levels. Some people know their cholesterol is high, but they do not know what high cholesterol means to their health. So, what damage does high cholesterol actually do?

What Does Cholesterol Do?

Cholesterol is a fat-like, waxy substance found naturally in all animal products, like meat and cheese, and the human body produces cholesterol in the liver. The body uses cholesterol to help build cell walls, as well as to produce hormones like testosterone and estrogen.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, or good cholesterol, even helps clear bad cholesterol out of the bloodstream. So, while it is normal to have a certain amount of cholesterol in your blood, it becomes a problem when there is too much cholesterol.

Too Much Cholesterol

An excellent way to visualize what happens to the body when there is too much cholesterol is to think of the drain in your kitchen sink. If you dump a bowl full of hot grease down the drain, followed by some water to wash it through, some of the grease will pass through the drain. Some of the grease, however, will stick to the sides of the drain.

If you dump enough grease, often enough, the drain will begin to get more narrow and eventually clog completely. At that point, nothing will pass through the drain, often leaving no choice but to take the drain apart and clean it out or replace it.

Your cardiovascular system works in a similar way. As low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or bad cholesterol, circulates through the bloodstream, good cholesterol helps to flush it out of the body. When there is too much cholesterol, it begins to form deposits on the inner walls of the arteries, which is a condition known as atherosclerosis.

The opening gets smaller, and the heart must work harder in order to pump blood. Over time, those deposits get larger and thicker, eventually blocking the artery off completely.

As arteries become blocked with cholesterol deposits, blood flow to the heart, brain and other vital organs becomes slowed. Remember that blood carries oxygen, so blood is vital to the life of an organ. If blood flow to the heart stops, you suffer a heart attack. If blood flow to the brain is blocked, you suffer a stroke.

If blood flow to other organs is stopped, those organs begin to die, which can result in several types of illnesses and/or death. In addition, if cholesterol deposits break free of the artery wall, they can form life-threatening clots in the artery.

In order to prevent the potentially life-threatening damage of high cholesterol, it is essential to monitor your cholesterol levels. If your cholesterol levels become too high, then it will be necessary to begin a program to lower your cholesterol levels before the damage is done.

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