Health

What can increase your Cholesterol levels?

What can increase your Cholesterol levels?
Written by Medhaavi Mishra

Cholesterol, a waxy substance, travels in the blood. Despite the fact that your body needs cholesterol to produce healthy cells, high cholesterol levels can raise your risk of heart disease.

High cholesterol is linked to the risk of fatty accumulation in blood vessels. These accumulations eventually grow to such a size that they prevent your arteries from carrying enough blood. These deposits can occasionally unexpectedly degrade and produce clots that cause heart attacks or strokes.

High cholesterol is treatable and preventable, even though it can be inherited from one parent to the next. This is due to bad lifestyle choices. With a healthy diet, regular exercise, and occasional medication, high cholesterol can be decreased.

If the outcomes of your cholesterol test are outside of acceptable ranges, your doctor may suggest more frequent measures. Your doctor could also suggest more frequent testing if you have a family history of heart disease, high cholesterol, or other risk factors like diabetes or high blood pressure.

Need for cholesterol test:

High cholesterol typically has no noticeable symptoms. A comprehensive cholesterol test is carried out to determine whether your cholesterol is high and to determine your risk of heart attacks, different types of heart disease, and blood vessel issues. A complete cholesterol test includes measuring four different blood fats, including:

  • Total cholesterol: Your blood’s total cholesterol level is indicated here.
  • Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL cholesterol: The term “bad” cholesterol is used to describe this kind of cholesterol. Atherosclerosis, which is brought on by an abundance of it in the circulation, lowers blood flow. Periodically, these plaques can burst, which can result in a heart attack or stroke.
  • HDL cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein: Because it aids in removing LDL cholesterol, also known as “bad” cholesterol, this substance is referred to as the “good” cholesterol because it keeps your arteries open and improves blood flow.
  • Triglycerides: The sort of fat found in triglycerides is in the blood. When you eat, your body turns extra calories into triglycerides, which are then stored as fat in your cells. A number of variables, such as being overweight, indulging in excessive sweets or alcohol, smoking, being sedentary, or having diabetes with high blood sugar levels are linked to high triglyceride levels.

Causes of increased cholesterol

High cholesterol could be due to the following reason:

  • Have high cholesterol
  •  A family history of heart attacks
  •  Are fat and inactive
  • Unmanageable diabetes
  • Adopt an unhealthy eating routine
  • Employ tobacco products

How is a cholesterol test done?

The following steps are followed while a cholesterol test is performed:

  • The cholesterol blood test is frequently performed in the morning if you fasted overnight. Usually in the arm, a vein is used to draw blood.
  • Before the needle is put, an elastic band is stretched over your upper arm, and the puncture site is cleaned with an antiseptic. 
  • The outcome is that the veins in your arm begin to bulge up with blood.
  • The needle is inserted, and a small amount of blood is collected into a vial or syringe. 
  • In order to promote circulation, the band is gradually removed while blood still flows into the vial. After drawing enough blood, the needle is removed, and the puncture site is bandaged.
  • Most likely, the procedure will take a few minutes. It doesn’t really hurt that bad.

Note: There are no precautions you need to take following your cholesterol test. You should be able to carry on with your regular activities and take a personal vehicle home. 

The major risk of increased cholesterol

After a cholesterol blood test, if your cholesterol is high, it is a thing of big concern. High cholesterol can cause an unhealthy buildup of deposits, including cholesterol, to form on the arterial walls. These deposits may prevent your arteries from receiving enough blood, which could lead to issues like:

  • Pain in the chest: If the arteries supplying your heart with blood (coronary arteries) are damaged, you may experience chest pain (angina), in addition to other indicators of coronary artery disease.
  • A cardiac arrest: If the plaque splits or ruptures, a blood clot may form at the site of the injury, halting the blood flow or possibly escaping and clogging an artery farther down. When some of the blood supply to your heart stops, a heart attack happens.
  • Stroke: Similar to how a heart attack does, a blood clot prevents blood flow to a part of your brain.

Conclusion:

High cholesterol is both preventable and treatable, even if it might be inherited because of poor lifestyle choices. A balanced diet, frequent exercise, and occasionally medication can all help lower high cholesterol.

A cholesterol test can assist in determining your risk of developing fatty deposits in your arteries, which may lead to blocked or restricted arteries throughout your body.

An important technique is a cholesterol test. Commonly high cholesterol levels are a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), three major lipoproteins that all contribute to cell metabolism, are measured by cholesterol blood test (often referred to as the lipid panel). The most prevalent form of blood fat, triglycerides, will also be measured by the lipid panel.

About the author

Medhaavi Mishra