Cholesterol is a waxy steroid of fat that is produced in the liver or intestines, fat-like substance found in the walls of cells in all parts of the body, from the nervous system to the liver to the heart. The body uses cholesterol to make hormones, bile acids, vitamin D, and other substances. Cholesterol circulates in the bloodstream but cannot travel by itself. As with oil and water, cholesterol which is fatty and blood which is watery do not mix. So cholesterol travels in packages called lipoproteins, which have fat (lipid) inside and protein outside.
High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. If there is too much cholesterol in the blood, some of the excess can become trapped in artery walls. Over time, this builds up and is called plaque. The plaque can narrow vessels and make them less flexible, a condition called atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. In fact, the higher your blood cholesterol level, the greater your risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men. Each year, more than a million Americans have heart attacks, and about a half million people die from heart disease.
As mentioned above, high blood cholesterol causes “hardening of the arteries” so that arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the heart is slowed down or blocked. The blood carries oxygen to the heart, and if enough blood and oxygen cannot reach your heart, you may suffer chest pain. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by a blockage, the result is a heart attack.
High blood cholesterol itself does not cause symptoms, so many people are unaware that their cholesterol level is too high. It is important to find out what your cholesterol numbers are because lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens the risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of a heart attack or dying of heart disease, even if you already have it.
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