Friend or Foe?
Has any natural body substance suffered worse PR than cholesterol? This soft, waxy, fat-like substance is found within the bloodstream and cells of the body and its synthesis is a naturally occurring process that is essential to produce membranes for all cells, including those of the brain, nerves, muscles, skin, liver, intestines and heart. Cholesterol is also converted into steroid hormones, such as the male and female sex hormones and the adrenal hormones. In the liver, cholesterol is the precursor to bile acids that aid in the digestion of food, especially fats, and is a key component in the body’s manufacture of vitamin D.
Yet, alas, according to current estimates, high levels of blood cholesterol affect about 20 percent of adults over the age of twenty in North America. Too much cholesterol in the blood is a major risk for heart disease, which may lead to a heart attack, during which the heart cannot pump enough blood to the body, and premature death. High cholesterol levels are also a risk factor for stroke, which is when not enough blood and oxygen get to the brain. Surprisingly, the highest prevalence occurs in women between the ages of 65 and 74. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that high cholesterol contributes to 56 percent of cases of coronary heart disease worldwide and causes about 4.4 million deaths each year.
High cholesterol can cause the formation and accumulation of plaque deposits in the arteries. Plaque is composed of cholesterol, other fatty substances, fibrous tissue and calcium—normal substances in the blood that become deposited on the artery walls when there is inflammation or injury to the artery wall. Studies show that people whose LDL cholesterol is made up of predominantly small, dense particles have a risk of coronary heart disease that is three times greater than the baseline. And now there are tests to measure LDL particle size.
If your cholesterol levels are too high, you will want to work towards achieving optimal levels as soon as possible.
Source, Wylde on Health by Bryce Wylde, BSc, DHMHS, Homeopath