Cholesterol is found in the walls of normal cells and is a building block for certain hormones like testosterone and oesterogen. But you also get cholesterol from the food you eat.
Your body, mainly your liver, produces 75% of your total cholesterol. External cholesterol mostly comes from animal and dairy products. But even if you eat food without cholesterol, the carbohydrates, fats and proteins all break down eventually and release carbon, which your liver turns into cholesterol.
If you have too much cholesterol, it starts to build up in your arteries. This is called hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis. It is usually a slow process that worsens as you age. This process leads to narrowing of the arteries and makes it more difficult for blood to flow through them. An artery that is completely blocked by a cholesterol plug or blood clot, leads to serious problems like heart attacks and strokes.
If your body detects that for example the ovaries need more cholesterol to make oestrogen, the liver produces cholesterol, combines it with a carrier to form low density lipoprotein (LDL) and sends it into the blood stream. Any cell needing cholesterol can now absorb the LDL from the blood stream. To collect the unused LDLs, your liver makes use of high density lipoproteins (HDL), which pass through your body and collect stray LDLs and return them to the liver.
To summarise:
- LDL is the 'bad' cholesterol. You want your LDL to be low.
- HDL is the 'good' cholesterol. A high HDL level is linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
- Triglycerides is the most common type of fat in the body and coupled with high LDL cholesterol is associated with atherosclerosis.
Work with your doctor to determine your risk and the best approach to manage it. In all cases, lifestyle changes are important to reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke. In some cases, cholesterol-lowering statin medicines may be needed.
Article compiled by Dr MM Herbst, MBChB (Stell)
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