WELLNEWS
Victor Dumaguing
All of the
above; from a clinical perspective, indeed cholesterol could be good, bad and
yes, really ugly. With all the celebratory activities of the Holidays, when
it’s impossible to put self-control, discipline and health awareness in one
sentence, hopefully, the article puts some sense into the gustatory delights of
our dear readers without diminishing their fun of the wonderfuL season.
This
article is our modest and sincere desire to share with our dear reader basic
simple data in understanding and controlling cholesterol, some details were
culled from a booklet of the American Heart Association (AHA) and American
Stroke Association (ASA)
Keeping
cholesterol levels under control is important for everyone; that means men and
women, formed, younger and older folks, people of all ages, with or without
heart disease.
Cholesterol
is a soft, fat-like substance found in the bloodstream and in all of the
approximately 75 trillion cells of the adult human body.
It must be
emphasized and stressed that 2/3 of the cholesterol in the body is synthesized,
manufactured and formed by the liver. The structural and functional integrity
of the membranes or walls or borders of cells is maintained by cholesterol.
Cholesterol is an important component in the synthesis of sex hormones and
steroid hormones.
Estrogen is
the primary female hormone responsible for development of female sexual
characteristics like ovary, fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina as well as breast;
and on the aesthetic side, lustrous shiny hair as well as clear dewy skin.
Progesterone is the secondary female hormone which has a quieting effect of the
pregnant uterus allowing for a full-term delivery of the baby within 38-42
weeks.
Testosterone
is the male hormone which is responsible for the spurt of growth of boys into
young men during adolescence with obvious increase in height as well as in
their reproductive organs, with embarrassing cracking of voice due to
enlargement and thickening of the vocal cords. Cholesterol is also needed in
the formation of hormones from the adrenal glands particularly its cortex;
cortisol which is a stress hormone and aldosterone which helps regulate sodium
and potassium levels in the blood.
The bad side
of cholesterol occurs when the person consumes food as well as drinks which
exceed the supposed just 1/3 dietary source of cholesterol; the major source of
which are meats of animals like beef, lamb and pork.
Atherosclerosis
is the deposition of layers of cholesterol on the inner lining of blood
vessels; sometimes called arteriosclerosis referring mostly to the involvement
of arteries, which together with the much smaller capillaries are responsible
for carrying oxygen and nutrients to the cells of the body.
If the
situation is not controlled, the deposited cholesterol would eventually evolve
from its soft slimy consistency into a semi-gel and finally into a solid hard
plaque which now significantly decrease the luminal diameter of the blood
vessel thus there would now be physical obstruction to the flow of blood.
The word
“ischemia” refers to a significant progressive diminution of blood flow to a
vital organ. The word “infarction” is a worse situation in which there is an
acute or abrupt stoppage of life-saving oxygen because the plaque would have
already completely blocked the blood vessel.
Then, the
ugly aspect of cholesterol would manifest itself clinically. In the heart, the
condition is called CAD or coronary heart disease (coronary arteries are the
blood supply of the heart); in the brain, it is called CVA or cerebrovascular
accident/apoplexy in the form of cerebral; and in the kidneys-organ which
receive 20% or 1/5 of total blood volume (5 liters), there would already signs
and symptoms of renal thrombosis.
It’s easy to
have high cholesterol and not know it because initially there may be no
symptoms that the person can see or feel, that’s why it’s important to have it
measured. As per advice of both AHA and ASA, if you are 20 or older, have
cholesterol measured at least every five years. However if other factors put
you at higher risks like family history, lifestyle habits (couch potato) and
vices like alcohol and smoking on top of a stressful domestic and work
environment, then the interval may be shorter.
A blood test
called “lipoprotein profile” measures cholesterol in milligrams per deciliter
of blood(mg/dL) Even if you do not have a lipoprotein profile, you should know
your total cholesterol, LDL(bad cholesterol) and HDL(good cholesterol)
Please be reminded
that different laboratories may show their results in mg/dL, other labs in
millimoles which is standard practice using the SI or System Internacional.
Fortunately, with every result, there is a range of normal values for each
test, with some lab even putting the letter H for elevated/high. And for a
better more accurate lab test results, please consult
Your family
physician what preparation to undertake like fasting for how many hours and the
best time to be in the lab for blood extraction.
That said,
have a Happy Healthy Holidays
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