What causes high cholesterol?

Lifestyle causes

    Nutrition - although some foods contain cholesterol, such as eggs, kidneys, eggs and some seafoods, dietary cholesterol does not have much of an impact in human blood cholesterol levels. However, saturated fats do! Foods high in saturated fats include red meat, some pies, sausages, hard cheese, lard, pastry, cakes, most biscuits, and cream (there are many more).

    Sedentary lifestyle - people who do not exercise and spend most of their time sitting/lying down have significantly higher levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and lower levels of HDL (good cholesterol).

    Bodyweight - people who are overweight/obese are much more likely to have higher LDL levels and lower HDL levels, compared to people who are of normal weight.

    Smoking - this can have quite a considerable effect on LDL levels.

    Alcohol - people who consume too much alcohol regularly, generally have much higher levels of LDL and much lower levels of HDL, compared to people who abstain or those who drink in moderation.

Treatable medical conditions

These medical conditions are known to cause LDL levels to rise. They are all conditions which can be controlled medically (with the help of your doctor, they do not need to be contributory factors):

    Diabetes

    High blood pressure (hypertension)

    High levels of triglycerides

    Kidney diseases

    Liver diseases

    Under-active thyroid gland

Risk factors which cannot be treated

These are known as fixed risk factors:

    Your genes 1 - people with close family members who have had either a coronary heart disease or a stroke, have a greater risk of high blood cholesterol levels. The link has been identified if your father/brother was under 55, and/or your mother/sister was under 65 when they had coronary heart disease or a stroke.

    Your genes 2 - if you have/had a brother, sister, or parent with hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) or hyperlipidemia (high blood lipids), your chances of having high cholesterol levels are greater.

    Your sex - men have a greater chance of having high blood cholesterol levels than women.

    Your age - as you get older your chances of developing atherosclerosis increase.

    Early menopause - women whose menopause occurs early are more susceptible to higher cholesterol levels, compared to other women.

    Certain ethnic groups - people from the Indian sub-continent (Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka) are more susceptible to having higher cholesterol levels, compared to other people.

What are the treatments for high cholesterol?

Lifestyle

Most people, especially those whose only risk factor has been lifestyle, can generally get their cholesterol and triglyceride levels back to normal by:

    Doing plenty of exercise (check with your doctor)

    Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, oats, good quality fats

    Avoiding foods with saturated fats

    Getting plenty of sleep (8 hours each night)

    Bringing your bodyweight back to normal

    Avoiding alcohol

    Stopping smoking

Many experts say that people who are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease will not lower their risk just by altering their diet. Nevertheless, a healthy diet will have numerous health benefits.

Cholesterol-controlling medications

If your cholesterol levels are still high after doing everything mentioned above, your doctor may prescribe a cholesterol-lowering drug. They may include the following:

    Statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) - these block an enzyme in your liver that produces cholesterol. The aim here is to reduce your cholesterol levels to under 4 mmol/liter and under 2 mmol/liter for your LDL. Statins are useful for the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis. Side effects can include constipation, headaches, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin are examples of statins.

    Aspirin - this should not be given to patients under 16 years of age.

    Drugs to lower triglyceride levels - these are fibric acid derivatives and include gemfibrozil, fenofibrate and clofibrate.

    Niacin - this is a B vitamin that exists in various foods. You can only get very high doses with a doctor's prescription. Niacin brings down both LDL and HDL levels. Side effects might include itching, headaches, hot flashes (UK: flushes), and tingling (mostly very mild if they do occur).

    Anti hypertensive drugs - if you have high blood pressure your doctor may prescribe Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, Angiotensin || receptor blockers (ARBs), Diuretics, Beta-blockers, Calcium channel blockers.

In some cases cholesterol absorption inhibitors (ezetimibe) and bile-acid sequestrants may be prescribed. They have more side effects and require considerable patient education to achieve compliance (to make sure drugs are taken according to instruction).

Herbal Alternative therapies

The world is increasingly recognizing herbal remedies as safe alternative therapies for a variety of health conditions and cholesterol control is one of them. Guggul or Shuddha Guggul and Garcinia have been proven to be very effective in cholesterol control with none of the side effects of statin drugs. It has been shown that Guggul can lower blood cholesterol by 14-27% and can lower triglycerides by 22-30%. The effects that Guggul has on the blood cholesterol levels is comparable to prescription medications but, being a natural plant extract, it is a far superior and much safer product. Guggul works on the liver by increasing the metabolism (or break down) of the bad cholesterol known as LDL Cholesterol. After taking the product for 4 to 12 weeks, total cholesterol levels can drop, triglyceride levels can drop and an increase in HDL (the good cholesterol) of approximately 16% can occur. Its benenfits as a weight-loss and fat burning agent have been well researched and documented. Garcinia inhibits the synthesis of lipids and fatty acids and lowers the formation of LDL and triglycerides. Garcinia not only inhibits conversion of excess calories to body fat but also suppresses appetite by promoting synthesis of glycogenis a very effective herbal medicine for controlling obesity and cholesterol.