HIGH CHOLESTEROL, SIGNAL FOR CAUTION
The link between cholesterol and heart disease has been known for decades. But cholesterol is only part of the equation. The most important thing is to detect how much of "bad" cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), and “good" high density lipoprotein (HDL) is in the blood.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that maintaining low levels of LDL can help people who have some risk factors such as, for example, smoking. HDL is transporting bad substances through the blood into the liver, where it is been metabolized and eventually eliminated and this is how HDL is fighting LDL.
According to some research, raising HDL by 1 milligram per deciliter (mg / dl) may reduce the risk of heart attack by 3%.
If a test detects elevated cholesterol, changes in eating habits and regular exercise can help, but in many cases can not lead to significant improvements. Then doctor should prescribe cholesterol lowering drugs, statins, which inhibit the liver from producing too much cholesterol.
The necessity of drugs prescription is still controversial, especially in patients whose change of lifestyle affects cholesterol levels. Researches have shown that statins can lower LDL by 40%, slightly raise HDL and lower your risk of heart attack by 35%.
We must not rely only on drugs - they should be combined with proper diet and regular exercise. As a side effect of taking statins you may experience fatigue of your muscles. It is necessary to regularly do the blood analysis in order to check the function of the liver.
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