High Cholesterol And Heart Disease: How Does High Cholesterol Affect Your Heart?

High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease. As bad cholesterol and triglycerides travel through the bloodstream, they often get stuck to artery walls, causing a build-up of plaque. When these plaques rupture, they restrict blood circulation, as well as forming blood clots. As this happens, you are at greater risk of a stroke or a heart attack.

High cholesterol and heart disease: What is the link?

For a very long time, researchers have studied the link between cholesterol and heart health. Surprisingly enough, the results across several studies have proven that the situation is more complex than it seems.

In 2010, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans indicated that a person should not consume more than 300 mg of cholesterol in any given day. However, the very same guidelines for 2015-2020 have not specified a limit, but still recommend consuming as little cholesterol-rich foods per day as possible.

As cholesterol starts to build up on the walls of the arteries, atherosclerosis starts to develop. This is a medical condition that describes narrow and hard arteries which prevent blood from flowing at a normal rate. It is a very common cause for heart attacks or strokes, both of which are known as being cardiovascular diseases.

The walls of your arteries are covered in endothelium: a thin cell layer which keeps the muscles of the arteries in shape, thus allowing free blood circulation. When the endothelium suffers any damage (such as the one caused by high levels of cholesterol), plaque is formed.

As LDL penetrates the endothelium, it starts to enter the artery walls, causing white blood cells to try and digest the LDL. As time passes, cells and cholesterol form plaque, creating something very similar to a lump.

In time, this lump grows bigger, blocking the arteries. Not only does this cause heart disease, but think about the fact that this process can occur in a lot of different arteries in the body, leading to a bunch of different health problems as well.

There’s also a chance that you won’t experience any atherosclerosis symptoms until later in life. As the arteries are blocked and blood flow is restricted, you can start experiencing pain. Eventually, these lumps can rupture, causing blood clots to appear.

Plaques and heart disease

As plaques are formed in the walls of your arteries, it can lead to three different types of cardiovascular disease:

• Coronary artery disease is a condition that describes stable plaques characterized by intense chest pain (in the medical world, this is known as “angina”). When plaques rupture, the formation of blood clots can eventually lead to the death of heart muscles, which in turn leads to heart attacks.
• Peripheral artery disease is a reflection of narrow arteries in the legs. Because of this process, the legs’ blood flow is restricted, causing poor circulation of these limbs. People who have been diagnosed with peripheral artery disease will find walking very painful, and can end up with untreatable wounds as well. In severe cases, the only solution may be amputation.
• Cerebrovascular disease sets in when the plaques are formed in the arteries that supply the brain with blood. As these plaque rupture, a person can have permanent brain damage caused by a stroke. A common phenomenon in such a case is TIA (short for “transient ischemic attacks). This occurrence is very similar to a stroke, but shorter in duration and with no permanent damage. However, people who suffered such an attack are thought of as being at risk for a full-blown stroke.

Cholesterol facts and recommendations

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans have a very comprehensive guide on the types of foods that are rich in cholesterol, as well as healthy tips that can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular heart disease:

• Consuming oils can be good for one’s health, but only when they replace solid fats.
• Saturated fats intake should not exceed more than ten percent of the daily calories required for your body weight. When possible, they should be replaced with unsaturated fats. Evidence suggests that polyunsaturated fats are the best choice for reducing LDL levels, but also for lowering the risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular diseases.
• Trans fats should also be avoided, especially partially hydrogenated oils (such as margarine). Studied have linked trans fats with an increased risk of heart disease.
• In 2010, 81.1 million Americans had cardiovascular disease, with high cholesterol being the main risk factor, in 16 percent of the adult population.
• People don’t usually need to consume cholesterol-containing foods (which only come from animal sources). The body makes enough cholesterol with any food intake required in this sense.
• 25 percent of the total cholesterol intake comes from dishes that contain eggs, 12 percent are from dishes with chicken, and 6 percent from meals made with beef.
• While high cholesterol poses a major risk for heart disease, it is not the only thing that you should look after. Other common risk factors for heart disease are: high blood pressure, consuming too much alcohol, smoking, stress, lack of exercise, not including vegetables and fruits in your diet, obesity, and diabetes.
• The best total cholesterol level is under 200 mg/dL. Optimal LDL levels should be less than 100 mg/dL, while HDL should be kept at a minimum of 60 mg/dL.
• The DASH eating plan is a good one to follow if you want to reduce your cholesterol levels, as it focuses on giving your body a balanced intake of fiber, protein, magnesium, calcium, and potassium.

Conclusion