High Cholesterol, Tasty but Risky

Our bodies take energy from the food we consume daily, according to what health is signified.

We aim to eat what is tasty; humans have the grace of loving food, tasting, and creating new recipes.

However, it’s not always a grace, and it could turn into a curse.

Unfortunately, tasty food means unhealthy ingredients or an unhealthy way of cooking, which leads to risking many diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart diseases in general, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

They are all connected and lead to each other. These diseases could cause some critical health complications, which should be controlled and treated properly.

Home nursing now can provide integrated healthcare, offering many services to simulate a hospital at home.

High cholesterol is one of the riskiest diseases, which’s obviously apparent when we get to know about its complications.

Basically, it’s connected to our nutrition habits and what we consumed to provide calories over the years.

First, let’s get to know more about it:

 

What is Cholesterol?

Initially, it comes from the liver; it’s a kind of fats or lipids essential for hormones, cell membranes, and vitamin D formation.

But it’s not produced alone, as these lipids can’t dissolve in water or blood; therefore, the liver produces lipoproteins, which are meant to carry Cholesterol and Triglycerides through the bloodstream.

These lipoproteins are divided into low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL).

Suffering from high cholesterol is when the cholesterols carried by the low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are higher than normal.

Which leads us to a worthy question, what’s the difference between both kinds? And is there a useful kind between them that the body takes benefit of?

To answer, let’s know more about the difference between both kinds LDL and HDL:

 

good Cholesterol

 

Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL) the “bad cholesterol”:

 

That’s how it’s described, which has a reasonable cause.

The LDL is meant to carry cholesterol to arteries, having high cholesterol, it typically builds layers into these arteries, preventing normal blood circulation.

Over time, high cholesterol would build up layers more and more, which are called plaques. And that’s when it could affect body health, cause heart diseases, high blood pressure, clots, and strokes.

Meanwhile, it could be challenging to face such health conditions; home nursing now can provide suitable healthcare at home.

 

High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL) the “good cholesterol”:

Why is it good? Cause it takes back the bad ones to the liver to be removed out.

Which prevents the high cholesterol complications by stopping the plaques build into the arteries.

Obviously, having good levels of HDL one could reduce the possibilities of clots and strokes.

 

Triglycerides

Triglycerides are a whole different kind of lipid with a different role. These fats are meant to give energy to the body.

Triglycerides are formed when your calories intake exceeds your body’s needs, and the remaining is not wasted; instead, it’s stored in our fat cells.

Triglycerides can’t dissolve into our blood and move; therefore, the liver produces a kind of lipoproteins to transport triglycerides.

On the other side, high triglycerides are as dangerous as high cholesterol levels; it could lead to severe health problems and diseases, like heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and even more severe issues like stroke.

That’s why triglycerides levels should always be monitored and checked while sticking to a healthy lifestyle to avoid complications.

As we got to know, triglycerides complications are critical, which could need hospital care in some cases. However, home nursing services could provide the required healthcare, totally safe and efficient.

 

High-Cholesterol causes

High Cholesterol Causes

It’s not only connected to our food intake, but also to many other factors that in some times couldn’t be controlled.

In general, obesity and inactivity are connected to high cholesterol and high triglycerides levels. But at the same time, our genes and hereditary factors could be involved.

Moreover, some health conditions could lead to having high cholesterol and high triglycerides levels, such like:

–        HIV/AIDS

–        Chronic kidney disease

–        Diabetes (know more about diabetes through this article)

–        Hypothyroidism

–        Lupus

In addition to some medication that should be taken under several health conditions, it could cause high cholesterol levels as a side effect, such like:

–        High blood pressure

–        Cancer

–        Heart diseases (irregular heart rhythm)

–        Organ transplant

While there’re so many risk factors that could be suspected:

–        Smoking: as it decreases the HDL levels.

–        Obesity: BMI over 30 could be an indicator of obesity, which increases the risk of having high cholesterol. (Know more about obesity through this article.)

–        Food habits: getting used to having a lot of junk food rich in saturated fats is a major reason for having high cholesterol levels.

–        Alcohol

–        Inactivity: activity increases the HDL, the good.

–        Age: people over 40 are more likely to get have high cholesterol.

 

High Cholesterol Symptoms

High Cholesterol Symptoms and Diagnosis

 Surprisingly, it doesn’t have any apparent symptoms; it’s called the silent disease.

You won’t feel some pains in specific organs that indicate it. Instead, complications are still on their way up to happen, no matter what you feel.

Therefore, a routine checkup is always recommended, especially for people over 40.

While growing older, organs could lose a lot of their efficiency, and chronic diseases like high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes are most likely to occur. That’s why providing proper care for the elderly is a must to keep them healthy, accessible through home nursing. If you want to know more about geriatric diseases and periods, check this article.

But when it’s considered high cholesterol? According to which one?

For instance, having a total cholesterol level over 200 is considered high, while having the LDL one over 130 is considered high.

While the HDL cholesterol is considered low when it’s lower than 40.

 

 

High Cholesterol Complications

It would lead to some severe and critical health conditions.

As we mentioned, these lipoproteins accumulate on the arteries’ walls and keep growing with time until they could totally block them.

That’s why it’s the main reason for heart diseases and heart attacks.

Chest pain indicates that heart supplying arteries are affected.

Also, a higher risk of heart attacks, clots, and strokes is considered due to high cholesterol.

These complications would need proper healthcare to recover, which could be provided through home nursing.

Prevention

Prevention

It’s not that hard to keep yourself away from this risk and have good health; it’s not only preventing high cholesterol but also from so many other health conditions, like heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and more.

Mainly, it’s about avoiding having junk food that’s rich in saturated fats—also avoiding fatty cuts of meat, full-fat dairy, and packaged snacks or desserts.

However, the milestone here is about changing a lifestyle, which will completely change your health to better condition and let you avoid many chronic and heart diseases like diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.

Just follow the following tips:

–        Daily workout:

At least for 5 days a week, have 30-60 minutes practice sessions. And always try to make it fun by doing something you really like.

–        Fibers:

Get meals rich in fibers, which you’ll find basically in vegetables and fruits.

Also, it’s highly recommended to replace regular bread with whole-grain bread.

–        Healthy fats:

Yes, some healthy fats work on your body’s needs; actually, your body can’t work correctly without them.

These fats exist in:

1-             Fish

2-             Olive oil

3-             Avocado

4-             Nuts

 

–        Reduce high saturated fats intake:

Which are existing mainly in:

1-             High-fatty red meat

2-             Cheese

3-             Whole milk

 

–        Quit smoking and alcohol

As we mentioned, smoking could reduce good cholesterol levels.

Knowing that smoking is always a bad habit that should be avoided could cause many other diseases, such as heart diseases, high blood pressure, and cancer.

However, it could cause some serious complications for people who suffer from diabetes and obesity.

While alcohol could increase the triglycerides levels.

Hence these complications could be so severe. The right healthcare could make anyone go through them. Nowadays, home nursing provides proper care, fulfilling any health need.

–        Shape and weight:

Always make sure you’re in the optimum weight and shape to control cholesterol levels and avoid diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.

–        Checkup:

A routine checkup is always necessary to keep up to date and take the right action on time. Especially that cholesterol is a silent disease with no symptoms.

Also, prevent and control any other disease, like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and more.

 

It’s always something doable to control your lifestyle and live healthily; you just need to see the full image to understand the consequences.

And always be ready for any unwanted events concerning health, get provided by suitable healthcare through home nursing.       

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