Fighting cholesterol
ZEENIA F BARIA
We speak to the experts ...
We’ve all heard about cholesterol at some point in our lives — why too much of it is a cause for concern and how one should keep it in check. But how many of us know what exactly it is? Interventional Cardiogialist, Dr Rajiv G Bhagwat says that cholesterol is of two types — good cholesterol and bad cholesterol.
“Cholesterol is a vital part of our bodies and cell structure. High cholesterol in the blood and an injury to the arterial wall begins the process of block formation, which is called cholesterol plaques. This progress can be gradual or rapid and causes narrowing of arteries leading to cardiovascular and other diseases. Sources of good cholesterol include salmon, tuna, walnut, almond and moderate consumption of wine/alcohol has been found to raise the levels of good cholesterol in some people. Sources of bad cholesterol are meat, prawns, egg yellow, mangoes and fried food. The ideal balance is to have low levels of bad cholesterol and high levels of good cholesterol,” he says.
Diagnosis
Go for regular medical check-ups. Know your family history — have your parents had any sort of heart diseases or diabetes? Preferably go to a doctor who is aware of your family history and treatment modalities.
Cardiothoriac surgeon, Dr Arun Mehra says that cholesterol comes from the Greek word chole, meaning bile, and the Greek word stereos, meaning solid, stiff. “Cholesterol is a fat (lipid), which is produced by the liver and crucial for normal body functioning. It builds and maintains cell membrane. Cholesterol exists in the outer layer of every cell in our body and has many functions. Without it, the human body couldn't survive. It is excreted by the liver via the bile into the digestive tract. Typically about 50 per cent of the excreted cholesterol is re-absorbed by the small bowel back into the bloodstream.
“The main causes of high cholesterol include nutrition (food that is high
in saturated fats include red meat, some pies, sausages, hard cheese, pastry, cakes, most biscuits, cream etc), sedentary lifestyle, being overweight, smoking and alcohol, diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), kidney and liver diseases, under-active thyroid gland, genes (people with close family members who have had a coronary heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol or high blood lipids have a greater risk of high blood cholesterol levels), sex (men have a greater chance of having high blood cholesterol levels than women), age (as you get older your chances of developing atherosclerosis increase) or early menopause. High cholesterol levels can cause higher coronary heart disease risk, heart attacks, angina and other cardiovascular conditions, strokes or ministrokes,” he says.
What you can do
Doing plenty of exercise, eating adequate fruits, vegetables, whole grains, oats, good quality fats, avoiding foods with saturated fats, getting plenty of sleep (eight hours each night), bringing your body weight back to normal, avoiding excess alcohol and smoking are essential. If your cholesterol levels are still high after doing everything mentioned above, your doctor may prescribe a cholesterol-lowering drug.
Dr. Vijay Surase, Interventional Cardiologist says that cholesterol is required for the functioning of the all the vital organ systems and various bodily metabolisms. “Some individuals even in their teens have high levels of cholesterol due to familial/genetic disorders, putting them in a crisis situation of a heart attack at a young age. If so, these youngsters should abide by a strict lifestyle with controlled eating habits, sleeping, exercise and limiting stress levels. They should also periodically look to get health check-ups or screenings.
Taking up consultation with a speciality doctor on this issue helps reduce the risk of major problems like heart attacks and strokes. For those who have been diagnosed with this kind of disease, they are required to take medication and follow up with their doctors for their entire lives. Those who undergo angioplasty, bypass surgery or suffer from strokes should monitor their cholesterol levels regularly and abide by the instructions of taking cholesterol lowering drugs. Individuals who are put on medication should know that these medicines are safe to have even for a lifetime and aren’t harmful if taken under the supervision of a doctor,” says Dr Surse.
