We read in Part 1 of this series that cholesterol is synthesized in the liver, where it is sent out into the body’s cells. A healthy liver should remove excess cholesterol from the body without the need for diet change, but genetics plays a large role in its ability to keep cholesterol at a healthy level. It is important to know that lipoproteins are the transporters of cholesterol and other lipids from the digestive tract to the liver and other body tissues.
You will probably be familiar with low-density lipoproteins abbreviated as LDL and high-density lipoproteins abbreviated as HDL. Throughout the past 30 years of research, HDL has been proven to be “good cholesterol” that works hard to remove excess amounts of LDL from your bloodstream. HDL brings LDL back to the liver for reprocessing and eventual excretion. HDL, which can only be raised in a natural manner, must remain high in number at all times to carry out this function.
During this same 30-year time frame, LDL or “bad cholesterol,” has been proven to build up in the arteries and block them. LDL then contributes to straining the heart function and restricting blood flow to body tissues. A proven risk of “high LDL cholesterol” is the possibility of a stroke due to the rupture of arteries. With plaque deposits, the arteries lose their suppleness and become brittle over time, therefore, becoming susceptible to rupture and bleeding, which can form blood clots.
Just ask a cardiac surgeon and his/her patients who have undergone open heart treatment and/or stent surgery to open blocked arteries. They will tell you about the importance of lowering your LDL number and raising your HDL number. Your cholesterol ratio can be found by dividing your total cholesterol number (HDL plus LDL sum) by your HDL number. Your cholesterol ratio should be kept below 5:1 with an ideal number of 3.5:1 or lower.
However, the American Heart Association recommends that doctors use total cholesterol numbers with patients now rather than cholesterol ratios. The total number is considered a better tool for guiding the doctor in planning the best patient care. Dr. Jared Ko, Sun City Huntley’s Wellness Department’s consulting physician (available every Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. for questions only), informs us, “HDL is important, but we [doctors] look at LDL numbers.” These are the total cholesterol numbers Dr. Ko recommended for the respective groups preceding the numbers: “Healthy people: 180/160, most people: 130, diabetics: 100, those who have had heart attacks: 80/70.”
Coronary artery disease, which affects 14 million Americans, is the most prevalent form of heart disease. With this huge incidence of coronary and circulatory diseases still occurring throughout the world, extensive research over decades has been done on a patient’s personal well-being level.
Just what has been causing atherosclerosis or arterial blockage that leaves the heart and body cells starving for oxygen? Dietary and personal habits, according to the Mayo Clinic and the National Library of Medicine, are large contributors to this still-#1 killer of Americans. What then can cause plaque buildup in the arteries?
1. Blood pressure: If your blood pressure is greater than the ideal level of 120/80 mm/Hg or lower, your arteries may develop plaque buildup more quickly than if you had normal blood pressure. Dr. Jared Ko tells us, “There are very few ways to prevent heart attacks and strokes, but [managing] blood pressure is a decent way. We [doctors] have to keep at it until we get it under control.”
2. Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes can cause your arteries to become inflamed, which can make it easier for plaque to stick to the insides of them and build up.
3. Diet: Earlier extensive research has indicated that eating a diet high in LDL increases plaque in your arteries.
4. Genetics: If you have a close family member (parent, grandparent, or sibling) with atherosclerosis, you are more prone to developing this condition.
5. Overweight/inactivity: Being overweight, especially if you are inactive, can cause plaque to build up in your arteries. This is due to a greater volume of blood in your body. Our Wellness Department physician concludes, “exercise raises HDL numbers.”
6. Smoking: The nicotine you inhale when smoking tobacco can injure and narrow your arteries. This allows plaque to build up in your arteries as well as narrow them – potentially blocking an artery.
If you have been adhering to a healthy lifestyle and still have “bad numbers,” medication probably has been prescribed for you.
Indeed, there are many Sun Citians now on cholesterol-lowering meds.
Next edition: Part 3: Debunking old myths
