Many of us know what cholesterol and heart disease are. What most of us don’t know is that there are arguments whether cholesterol is the main cause of heart disease. Some experts say that cholesterol is one of the main cause of heart disease while there are others who think otherwise. 

 

Experts from the Framingham Heart Study have determined that high blood cholesterol is one of the factors for a coronary heart disease or CHD. The result of their study showed that the ones who have a higher cholesterol level is the most likely he will have a coronary heart disease or CHD. Coronary heart disease is unusual at low cholesterol levels. A connection between high blood cholesterol and heart disease was also confirmed by another group of experts. Their studies showed that lowering the total LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) levels drastically reduces coronary heart disease. Recently, a series of trials of cholesterol using statin drugs showed that lowering the total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol greatly reduces the chance of experiencing a heart attack, angioplasty (a bypass that requires surgery) and dying of coronary heart disease-related causes.
What are the risk factors that increases the risk of developing heart disease? The risk factors are the condition that one has. Even though some risk factors can be modified some risk factor can not be changed. All in all, the more risk factor that you have the more chances you will be experiencing a heart disease.

Risk factor that can not be modified

  • Age (55 and above for female while 45 and above for male)
  • Family history (parents or sibling who died of a heart disease at the age stated above)

Known cholesterol risk factors that one can change

  • High total cholesterol and high LDL (bad) cholesterol
  • Low HDL (good) cholesterol
  • Smoking 
  • High blood pressure
  • Diabetes ( the risk of developing a heart disease is high if you are diabetic)
  • Physical inactivity
  • Obesity or overweight

It is advisable to go to a physician if you are not sure if you have a high blood cholesterol.

Although some expert agree that the high blood cholesterol and heart disease is somewhat connected; there are also a few expert who tend to disagree that too much animal fat or high cholesterol and heart disease go together. They argued that there is no such thing as “bad” or “good” cholesterol. They believe that mental stress, physical activity and change of body weight may influence the level of the blood cholesterol and that a high blood cholesterol is not dangerous but only reflects an unhealthy condition. There lots of factors that some experts disagree with each other. Whatever causes of high cholesterol and heart disease are. The only sure thing is… to live a healthy life.

This website puts documents at your disposal only and solely for information purposes. They can not in any way replace the consultation of a physician or the care provided by a qualified practitioner and should therefore never be interpreted as being able to do so.