How Bad Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Leads to Plaque Buildup and Heart Disease or Attack

Talk and talk and talk about lowering your cholesterol, but all of your talk does no good until you know if you are bad cholesterol heart patient waiting to happen. Here is the thumbnail on cholesterol and hopefully enough to stir you to have a “bad” cholesterol check-up, as in blood test.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is found in all cells of the body. Your body needs some cholesterol to work the right way, but your body makes all the cholesterol it needs. Your body uses cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods.

Blood is watery, and cholesterol is fatty. Just like oil and water, the two don’t mix. To travel in the bloodstream, cholesterol is carried in small packages called lipoproteins. The small packages are made of fat (lipid) on the inside and proteins on the outside.

Two kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout your body. It is important to have healthy levels of both:

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol ~ bad cholesterol.
High LDL cholesterol leads to a buildup of cholesterol in arteries = greater risk of heart disease.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ~ good cholesterol.
HDL carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver to remove it from your body = the lower risk of heart disease.

Too much cholesterol in the blood, or high blood cholesterol, can be serious. On its own it does not cause any symptoms, so most are unaware that their cholesterol level is too high.

Cholesterol can build up on the walls of your arteries, those vessels that carry blood from the heart. This buildup of cholesterol is called plaque, and over time plaque can cause narrowing of the arteries. This is what’s known as hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis.

Special arteries, called coronary arteries, bring blood to the heart. Narrowing of these arteries due to plaque can stop or slow down the flow to your heart. When the arteries narrow, the amount of oxygen-rich blood is decreased and this is what’s known as coronary artery disease, or CAD.

Large plaque areas can lead to angina chest pain which is what happens when the heart does not receive enough oxygen-rich blood. Angina is a common symptom of CAD.

Some plaques have a thin covering and burst (rupture), releasing fat and cholesterol into the bloodstream. The release of fat and cholesterol may cause your blood to clot. A clot can block the flow of blood. This blockage can cause angina or a heart attack.

Lowering your cholesterol level decreases your chance for having a plaque burst and cause a heart attack. Lowering cholesterol may also slow down, reduce, or even stop plaque from building up.

Plaque and resulting health problems can also occur in arteries elsewhere in the body.

High blood cholesterol is diagnosed by checking levels of cholesterol in your blood. It is best to have a blood test called a lipoprotein profile to measure your cholesterol levels. Give that blood to maintain a healthy heart. No heart = no life!

Filed under: Heart Smart

« Chronic Fatigue: Discover When the Lack of Energy and Motivation Turns Chronic Understanding What High Means in High Blood Pressure and Healthy Habits »