Heart disease is a killer: Last year, millions of lives were lost to cardiovascular problems. One of the main causes of heart problems is a high cholesterol level, due to consumption of processed foods, with high fat and refined sugar content. Studies have shown that if you lower your cholesterol, your actual risk of heart disease is reduced by up to 40%.

Cholesterol is bad for your body, especially when the body consumes large amounts

Soft-boiled Ostrich Egg

We do need to take in a certain amount of cholesterol for overall health and for optimal body functioning, however.  But what happens when we no longer pay attention to the amount of cholesterol that we are taking in?  How does the body respond?  What is the body’s response to high cholesterol?

Cholesterol is produced by the liver, and is a fat-like, waxy substance. Every cell in the human body is formed to different degree from cholesterol. Cholesterol works to build and repair cells, produces bile acids to aid in the digestion of fat, and produces hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone.

There are two types of cholesterol, HDL (‘good’) cholesterol and LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol. LDL, the ‘bad’ cholesterol: Blood cholesterol produced in low density lipoproteins (LDL) is transported from the liver, to other parts of the body where it can be used in all sorts of useful ways. The problem starts when there is too much of the “bad” cholesterol. When LDL is produced, it starts to build up in the body and blood stream.  The build-up of the LDL cholesterol starts to clog the arteries and leads to increased risk of heart disease. This is why LDL cholesterol is often called ‘bad’ cholesterol.  High levels of bad cholesterol can put you at risk for heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.  High cholesterol levels, especially if left undiagnosed, can deposit on the walls of your arteries through a process called artherosclerosis.  This forms a waxy plaque on the walls of arteries and can limit blood flow to vital organs and tissues.  If this is left unattended, the result will be coronary heart disease.  In addition, the plaques in the coronary arteries can obstruct blood flow to the heart muscle which can produce angina (chest pain). If a coronary artery plaque ruptures, a heart attack can occur.

As you become aware of the risk factors that put you closer to bad cholesterol and by making modifications to lower your LDL levels, and hopefully at the same time raising your “good cholesterol,” the risk of coronary heart disease is redeuced by nearly 50%.  But heart disease is still a risk.  Cardiovascular disease or CVD, also includes peripheral artery disease and stroke.

Along with high cholesterol, researchers have identified several key risk factors you should actively seek to reduce to decrease all CVD risk. These include smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, being overweight, or obese, and lack of exercise.

Do not fear – if you are steadily working on your cholesterol levels, but haven’t gotten them under control, you can still make impressive heart-healthy lifestyle changes including increasing your level of exercise, upping your intake of fruits and vegetables, and introducing doctor-prescribed medications designed to bring down your blood pressure.