High cholesterol: causes, effects, and management strategies

High Cholesterol level is widely regarded to be one of the leading causes of coronary heart disease, which in turn, is the number one killer of women and men in the United States and most other developed countries. Statistics show that every year, more than a million Americans have heart attacks, and about a half million people die from heart disease. While cholesterol levels can be controlled by diet-control as well as medication, evidence exists to suggest that genetics play a major role in determining the cholesterol levels in an individual as well as his or her likelihood of having a heart attack.

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that occurs naturally in the body and performs several vital functions, e.g., the formation of walls surrounding the body's cells and its conversion into certain hormones that control some body functions. Our body makes most of the cholesterol needed. It is also present in our diet, particularly animal fats. When the cholesterol level in blood is high, fatty plaques start to build up on the walls of arteries resulting in the narrowing and hardening of the arteries. This results in decreased blood-flow to the heart and thus less oxygen for the heart muscles causing pain (angina). If the blood flow to a part of the heart is cut off completely, it results in a heart attack. If blood supply to the brain is impaired in a similar manner, a stroke occurs.

There are two types of cholesterol -- the LDL cholesterol (or the "bad" cholesterol) and the HDL (or the "good" cholesterol). It is only the high levels of LDL that results in atherosclerosis, while the HDL actually protects against heart attacks and strokes by removing the LDL from the arteries.

Genetics & Cholesterol

From the time high levels of cholesterol was discovered as the reason behind one of the major causes of atherosclerosis and thus of heart-attacks, it has been recognized that some individuals are genetically resistant to atherosclerosis. The LDL level of such individuals does not rise to dangerous levels even though they may consume a high-fat diet. Subsequent research in genetics has confirmed the importance of hereditary factorsin the way our body processes cholesterol and the fact that an individual's chances of getting a heart-attack is strongly influenced by genetics, although more research is needed to identify the 'culprit' genes. A Framingham Heart Study shows that approximately 80% of individuals who develop a heart attack have the same blood cholesterol values as those who do NOT develop a heart attack. ("Why is Genetics and Heart Disease Important?")

Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure