Introduction Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is naturally present in cell wall s or membranes everywhere in the body.

The body uses cholesterol to produce many hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids th at help to digest fat. Too much cholesterol in your bloodstream can lead to narrowing of arteries in the body that cause hea rt attacks, strokes, and peripheral artery disease. High cholestrol Cholesterol is naturally present in cell walls or membranes everywhere in the bo dy, including the brain, nerves, muscles, skin, liver, intestines, and heart.The body uses cholesterol to produce many hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat. It takes only a small amount of cholesterol in the blood to meet these needs. If a person has too much cholesterol in the bloodstream, the excess may be deposited in arteries, including the coron ary arteries of the heart, the carotid arteries to the brain, and the arteries that supply blood to the legs. C holesterol deposits are a component of the plaques that cause narrowing and blockage of the arteries, producing sign s and symptoms originating from the particular part of the body that has decreased blood supply. Blockage to the leg arteries causes claudication (pain with walking) due to peri pheral artery disease. Carotid artery blockage may cause stroke, and blockage of the coronary arteries leads to angina (chest pain) and heart attack. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is caused by cholesterol and fat being deposited in the walls of the arteries thatsupply nutrients and oxygen to the heart. Like any muscle, the heart needs a constant s upply of oxygen and nutrients, which are carried to it by the blood in the coronary arteries. Narrowing of the arteri es decreases that supply and can cause angina (chest pain) when the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen. Choles terol plaques can rupture,resulting in a blood clot formation that completely blocks the artery, stopping all blood flow and causing a heart attack, in which heart muscle cells die from lack of oxygen and nutrients. Causes High cholesterol levels are due to a variety of factors including heredity, diet , and lifestyle. Less commonly, underlying illnesses affecting the liver, thyroid, or kidney may affect blood cholesterol l evels.Heredity: Genes may influence how the body metabolizes LDL (bad) cholesterol. Familial hypercholesterolemia is an inhe rited form of high cholesterol that may lead to early heart disease. Weight: Excess weight may modestly increase your LDL (bad) cholesterol level. Losing wei ght may lower LDL and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Physical activity/exercise:

Regular physical activity may lower triglycerides and raise HDL cholesterol levels.Age and sex: Before menopause, women usually have l ower total cholesterol levels than men of the same age. As women and men age, their blood cholesterol levels rise until about 60-65 years of age. After about age 50 years, women often have higher total cholesterol levels than men of the same age. Alcohol use: Moderate (1-2 drinks daily) alcohol intake increases HDL (good) cholesterol but does not lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Doctors don't know for certain whether alcohol also reduces the risk of heart disease. D rinking too much alcohol can damage the liver and heart muscle, lead to high blood pressure, and raise triglyceride levels. Be cause of the risks, alcoholic beverages should not be used as a way to prevent heart disease Mental stress: Several studies have shown that stress raises blood cholesterol levels over the long term. One way that stress may do this is by affecting your habits. For example, when some people are under stress, they c onsole themselves by eating fatty foods. The saturated fat and cholesterol in these foods contribute to higher levels of bloo d cholesterol. Symptoms High cholesterol is a risk factor for other illnesses and by itself does not cau se symptoms. Routine screening blood tests may reveal elevate cholesterol levels in the blood.The National Cholesterol Educatio n Program guidelines suggest that everyone aged 20 years and older should have their blood cholesterol level measured at least o nce every 5 years. It is best to have a blood test called a lipoprotein profile to find out your cholesterol numbers. Prevention Adoption of a healthier lifestyle, including aerobic exercise and a low-fat diet should reduce the prevalence of obesity, high cholesterol, and, ultimately, the risk of coronary heart disease.Knowing your ch olesterol number is the first step in controlling your levels. *Set dietary goals based on the guidelines from the National Cholesterol Edu cation Program. 1. Strive for daily intake of less than 7% of your calories from saturate d fat and less than 200 mg of cholesterol from the food you eat. 2. You may eat up to 30% of your calories from total fat, but most should be from unsaturated fat, which doesn't raise cholesterol levels. 3. Add more soluble fiber (found in cereal grains, beans, peas, and many fruits and vegetables) and foods that contain plant stanols and sterols (include d in certain margarines and salad dressings) to boost your LDL-lowering power. T he best way to know what's in the foods you eat is to read the nutrition label.

4. Lower cholesterol levels start at the grocery store. Read food labels, and buy foods low in saturated fat and low in cholesterol. 5. Work with your health care practitioner to determine whether medicatio n is needed to control high cholesterol.

Treatment *Self-Care at Home High cholesterol is just one of several risk factors for coronary heart disease. A health care practitioner will consider a person's overall risk when assessing their cholesterol levels and discussing treatment options. Risk factors are conditions that increase a person's risk for developing heart d isease. Some risk factors can be changed and others cannot. In general, the more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance of develo ping coronary heart disease. Some risk factors can be controlled; however, some cannot be controlled. Risk factors that cannot be cannot control include: age (45 years or older for men; 55 years or older for women); and family history of early heart disease (father or brother affected before age 55 years; mother or sister affected before age 65 years). Risk factors that can be controled include: high blood cholesterol (high total cholesterol and high LDL [bad] choles terol); low HDL (good) cholesterol; quit smoking; high blood pressure; diabetes; obesity/excess weight; and physical inactivity. If a person has high lipoproteins and thus high cholesterol, their doctor will w ork with them to target their levels with dietary and drug treatment. Depending on a person's risk factors for heart disease, target goals may differ for lowering thier LDL cholesterol. Diet: The National Cholesterol Education Program has created dietary guidelines. NCEP dietary guidelines are: total fat: less than than 30% of daily caloric intake saturated fat: less than 7% of daily caloric intake polyunsaturated fat (found in vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish, leafy green s): less than or equal to 10% of daily caloric intake monounsaturated fat: approximately 10%-15% of daily caloric intake cholesterol: less than 200 milligrams per day carbohydrates: 50%-60% of daily caloric intake Some people are able to reduce fat and dietary cholesterol with vegetarian d iets. Stanol esters can be included in the diet and may reduce LDL by about 14%. P roducts containing stanol esters include margarine substitutes (marketed as brand names Benecol and Take Control). People with higher triglycerides may benefit from a diet that is higher in m onounsaturated fat and lower in carbohydrates, particularly simple sugars. A common source of monounsaturated fat is olive oil.

Activity: Although exercise has little effect on LDL, aerobic exercise may improve insulin sensitivity, HDL, and triglyceride levels and may thus reduce the risk of heart disease. People who exercise and control their diet ap pear to be more successful with long-term lifestyle modifications that improve their heart risk profile. *Medical treatment Contact Your nearest Doctors or Contact our Health Expert For more Details. Source@http://www.emedicinehealth.com