What is Cholesterol (total cholesterol)
1. The human body produces cholesterol on its own, but it is also obtained through food.
2.By measuring total cholesterol, you can find out how much bad and good cholesterol and triglycerides are in your blood.
3. The most common cause of high cholesterol is a diet that contains too much saturated (hard) fat.
4. Regularly measuring cholesterol and keeping cholesterol at normal levels are important steps to keep a person healthy and their vital functions functioning as they should.
Table of contents
· What is Cholesterol?
· What does Total Cholesterol Mean?
· Measuring cholesterol
· Target values for total cholesterol
· Reference values for cholesterol measurements
· Why is Cholesterol Examined?
· What does a cholesterol measurement say?
· Cholesterol measurement checklist
· High cholesterol
o What causes high cholesterol?
o What are the risk factors for high cholesterol?
o Elevated cholesterol can also be caused by other factors
o Symptoms of high cholesterol
o High cholesterol in children and adolescents
o How can high cholesterol be treated?
o Diet for high cholesterol
o Treatment of high cholesterol with medication
What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found naturally in every cell in the body. The human body produces cholesterol on its own, but it is also obtained through food.
The body is unable to break down cholesterol. It is eliminated from the body by the liver excreting cholesterol into the bile, either as such or converted to bile acids. Some of the cholesterol is excreted in the feces and some is absorbed from the gut back into the bloodstream.
There is benign and malignant cholesterol, and while remaining at normal levels, cholesterol is an essential substance for the body.
Elevated cholesterol increases the risk of developing arterial disease and the risk of heart attack.
What does Total Cholesterol Mean?
As the name implies, total cholesterol can be measured by measuring total cholesterol in the blood. However, total cholesterol says little about the state of the body’s fat metabolism. Therefore, it is more important to determine which cholesterol-carrying lipoprotein concentration is abnormal. What goes inside the LDL lipoprotein is considered harmful.
Cholesterol measurement can determine how much bad cholesterol ( LDL cholesterol and VLDL , or very low-density lipoproteins ) is present in the blood , which travels under unfavorable conditions to the artery wall, gradually clogging them. The measurement also finds out how much good ( HDL cholesterol ) is in the body , which carries cholesterol from the artery wall back to the liver, where it breaks down.
In addition, the measurement tells you the blood triglyceride level. Triglycerides are fats circulating in the blood that play a significant role in acting as a reserve source of energy in the body.
Cholesterol is insoluble in water, so it cannot be transported in the bloodstream as such. Cholesterol must become water-soluble, where it is packaged inside transport proteins , or lipoproteins, and is used to circulate throughout the body.
Lipoproteins contain four components: cholesterol, triglyceride, phospholipid, and protein.
Total human cholesterol is divided into classes that differ in function, size, density, and composition.
VLDL, or very low density lipoproteins. The liver produces VLDL cholesterol and releases it into the bloodstream. VLDL particles transport triglycerides to tissues, which are fat-like substances. VLDL and LDL cholesterol are bad cholesterol because they can promote the formation of blockages in the arteries.
LDL or low density lipoproteins. LDL carries the majority of blood cholesterol and allows cholesterol to travel from the blood to the tissues. Excess cholesterol remains in the bloodstream and can accumulate in the walls of the arteries, constricting them. This cholesterol is also called malignant cholesterol.
HDL or High Density Lipoproteins. HDL transports cholesterol away from tissues and arterial walls back to the liver, where it breaks down. This cholesterol is called good quality cholesterol.
Measuring cholesterol
The amount and quality of cholesterol can be measured with blood tests. The measurement of total cholesterol examines the blood cholesterol level. Usually, blood tests can be used to measure the levels of LDL , HDL , total cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood plasma .
Cholesterol measurement (lipids, ie blood fat values) includes 4 tests:
Total cholesterolTriglycerides
LDL cholesterol
HDL cholesterol.
Fasting is recommended the day before sampling, but in certain cases, such as in diabetics , it is not mandatory.
The recommended target value for total cholesterol in adults is less than 5.0 mmol / L (picomoles per liter).
Breakdown Recommended value (mmol / l)
Ideal 3.5 - 5.0
Good 5.1 - 5.9
Slightly elevated 6.0 - 6.9
Elevated 7.0 - 7.9
Significantly elevated over 8.0
Reference values for cholesterol measurements
Research Abbreviation Recommendation (mmol / l)
Total cholesterol fP-Col less than 5.0
LDL cholesterol (bad) fP-Col-LDL less than 3.0
HDL cholesterol (good) fP-Col-HDL more than 1.2 women
more than 1.0 men
Triglycerides fP-Trigly less than 1.7
Why is Cholesterol Examined?
Excess cholesterol builds up in the walls of blood vessels and can cause blockages while there . Elevated cholesterol is a major risk factor for other serious diseases.
Regularly measuring cholesterol and keeping cholesterol at normal levels are important steps to keep a person healthy and their vital functions functioning as they should.
Cholesterol can be measured with a rapid test and a traditional blood sample from an arm vein. However, a rapid cholesterol test cannot measure the ratio of good (HDL) to bad (LDL) cholesterol , ie whether there is more benign or malignant cholesterol in the body.
You can identify a blood sample taken from an arm vein with the code fP-Kol .
What does a cholesterol measurement say?
Measurement of total cholesterol can be used to determine if a person is at risk for serious illnesses caused by elevated cholesterol. The results can also be used to assess what kind of action is needed (enhancing self-care or starting medication) to reduce a person’s risk of developing serious illnesses.
In addition, total cholesterol can be studied to see if cholesterol-lowering therapy has been effective.
Cholesterol measurement checklist
Check if fasting is required. Fasting is recommended the day before sampling, but in certain cases, such as in diabetics , it is not mandatory.Remember regular measurement. In an adult, cholesterol levels are usually measured at least about once every five years at a health check-up. Values should be measured more frequently if there are changes. On your own initiative, you can have a health check-up , for example, once a year to take better care of your health.
Avoid measuring when ill. Cholesterol levels are usually momentarily lower after illness, trauma, or immediately after a heart attack.
Pregnancy. Cholesterol levels usually rise during pregnancy .
After giving birth, you should wait a few weeks before measuring cholesterol to allow your cholesterol levels to stabilize.
Medicines. Certain medications can raise cholesterol. These include anabolic steroids , adrenaline and birth control pills.
High cholesterol
High or elevated cholesterol can be caused by many different factors, which will be reviewed next.What causes high cholesterol?
The most common cause of high cholesterol is a diet high in saturated fat . Avoiding hard fats, exercising adequately, and avoiding excess pounds can affect the amount and quality of total cholesterol in the body. Prefer soft fats such as olive oil.
If there is too much malignant or LDL cholesterol in the body, it can constrict the arteries and lead to a heart and cerebral thrombosis. Therefore, it is important to take high cholesterol seriously and start regular monitoring of cholesterol levels by the age of 40 at the latest.
What are the risk factors for high cholesterol?
Elevated cholesterol is also associated with factors beyond human control. These include age, gender, and ligation.
Sexual. In women, cholesterol levels often rise after menopause .
Age can increase the risk of elevated cholesterol. Men 45 years of age and older and women 55 years of age and older are at risk for high cholesterol.
Heredity. The risk of elevated cholesterol may be increased if, for example, family members suffer from early (before the age of 55) heart disease or mother from the same disease (before the age of 65).
Elevated cholesterol can also be caused by other factors
Cholesterol can also be elevated in the following situations:
liver or kidney disease
Hypothyroidism
Ovarian polycystic ovary syndrome
pregnancy or any other life situation that increases the amount of estrogen in the body
The use of drugs that increase LDL cholesterol and reduce the amount of HDL cholesterol in the body (luteinizing hormone, or progesterone, anabolic steroids and choricosteroids).
In addition, smoking lowers HDL cholesterol.
Symptoms of high cholesterol
High cholesterol is a high risk factor for other, serious diseases, but it does not in itself cause any symptoms. Thus, high cholesterol cannot be detected or detected by itself other than by measuring the values in laboratory tests.
Regular blood tests will help identify elevated cholesterol so that proper treatment can be started.
High cholesterol in children and adolescents
Cholesterol can also rise in children and adolescents. Even in children, the most common cause is due to a diet high in hard fats and fatty meats. Heredity is also affected.
Elevated cholesterol in a child or adolescent can be surprising. It is often thought that the diet of the whole family is okay, as the nutrition obtained is varied and hard fats are sought to be avoided. However, fat should not be avoided too much so that the child gets enough of the soft fats necessary for the body.
The primary treatment for high cholesterol in children is the same as in adults: a change in diet and lifestyle . In some cases, such as inherited cholesterol, initiation of medication is considered. However, check your lifestyle (diet and exercise) first.
How can high cholesterol be treated?
Elevated cholesterol is often lifestyle-related, so lowering it begins with changes in diet and lifestyle . In the diet, attention is paid to the amount and quality of fat , as well as the amount of sufficient dietary fiber .
In addition, adding exercise into your daily routine can increase the amount of benign (HDL) cholesterol in your body.
Quitting smoking also plays a key role in lifestyle change because smoking lowers benign cholesterol.
The overall goal of lowering high cholesterol is to have a total cholesterol value of less than 5 mmol / L and an LDL cholesterol value of less than 3.0 .
The harmfulness of cholesterol is dependent on other vascular damaging factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, and lack of exercise . If a person does not have these factors, a slight or moderate overrun of the total cholesterol value of 5.0 is ok, especially if the HDL cholesterol value is good.
If there are no other risk factors in the healthy person, such as hereditary diseases and cholesterol levels remain at the recommended level (total cholesterol 5.0-6.4 mmol / l and LDL cholesterol 3.0-4.9), the primary goal is to lower cholesterol through diet and lifestyle changes.
Cholesterol lowering is more closely treated if a person's risk of arterial disease is clearly increased. They are diabetics or asymptomatic individuals who, according to a risk calculator, have a 10 percent chance of developing coronary heart disease or having a stroke in the next 10 years. For them, the target value for LDL cholesterol is less than 2.5 mmol / l. Initiation of medication is considered to support self-medication.
The risk is greatest in people who have already been diagnosed with arterial disease, additional diabetes-related illnesses, or have a risk counter risk greater than 15%. In their case, the target value for LDL cholesterol is less than 1.8 mmol / l. In this case, initiating medication to lower cholesterol is necessary.
Diet for high cholesterol
Diet can affect blood cholesterol levels. Use the tips below to help prevent and treat high cholesterol.
Attention should be paid to the quality and amount of fat in the diet . The quality of fat from food is good when it is largely soft fat .
You can get started in small steps: by replacing products that are high in hard fat with products that contain soft vegetable fats, for example, and making sure that the dish has a varied, colorful and high- fiber food.
Hard fats should be avoided and some of them replaced with soft fats.
Common hard sources include:
dairy productsFatty meat
Products of animal origin
Sausages and similar preparations
Bakery products
Snacksit
Convenience food.
The amount of hard fat can be reduced by switching from animal fats to soft vegetable fats .
Soft fats are obtained, for example, from vegetable oils, a good example of which is olive oil .
Tips to help you reduce the amount of hard fat and increase the amount of soft fat in your diet:
Reduce the use of animal products, especially animal fat. If you use products of animal origin, choose them as low-fat .Prefer lean meats such as chicken and turkey.
Prefer fatty fish like salmon and sardines instead .
Avoid processed foods such as burgers and snacks.
Prefer nuts and seeds as a source of vegetable fat.
Prefer vegetable oils and liquid vegetable oil preparations.
Remember dietary fiber and vegetables. Increase the total amount of plant-based foods.
Treatment of high cholesterol with medication
Initiation of medication is considered if diet and lifestyle changes do not adequately lower cholesterol.
In addition to cholesterol levels, starting treatment is affected by:
Overall risk of arterial disease
Elevated blood pressure
Smoking.
Statin drugs are used as treatment . Statins are available in several types and have small differences between them. The effectiveness of statin drugs is based on the fact that they reduce the amount of “bad” LDL cholesterol and slightly increase the amount of “good” HDL cholesterol in the body.
In some cases, the efficacy of a statin drug is not always sufficient, so ezetimibe , which seeks to reduce intestinal cholesterol absorption, may be included .
In case the effect of the statin drug is insufficient or not suitable for the patient, nicotinic acid can be used , which increases the amount of HDL cholesterol in the body.
