May 30, 2011
How LDL Cholesterol Affects your Heart
In order to stay heart healthy it is a must that you know the methods of keeping oneself healthy. One of the major factors that help you keep fit is the levels of cholesterol in your body. While most think that cholesterol brings only ill effects, there is a positive side to cholesterol too.
Cholesterol is actually a wax like substance that is produced by the liver whose levels are increased to greater levels by consuming the foods that contain it.
The fact is that there are two kinds of cholesterol, the HDL cholesterol and the LDL cholesterol. The former is called good cholesterol and helps the body function better and stands for High density lipo protein. The other stands for Low density lipo protein and is the root cause of all the cholesterol related problems. Here are the negative effects of LDL cholesterol.
- The heart is theorgan that suffers most at the hands of excessive amounts of LDL cholesterol. While the HDL cholesterol helps in enhancing the health of the heart, the LDL destroys it. Most heart complications take place as a result of the increased levels of LDL cholesterol .
- When the LDL or bad cholesterol surpasses permissible limits, it accumulates along the inner walls of the arteries making it difficult for the free flow of blood. This condition is medically called atherosclerosis and is one of the troubles that the vascular regions encounter.
- Atherosclerosis can decrease the flow of blood to the heart and can also deprive the various organs of the required oxygen. This can eventually cause complications in other parts of the body.
- When there is not enough blood flowing into the heart, it is likely that coronary artery disease will happen. The narrowing of the arteries is the main reason for this condition.
- Chest pain, neck and back pain, abdominal pain, excessive sweating and shortness of breath also occur when a person suffers from coronary heart disease.
- When the case is severe, heart attacks also called myocardial infarctions are also possible, which may sometimes prove to be fatal. It is therefore recommended that you avoid junk food and switch over to heart healthy food .
- Another major problem related to cholesterol is obesity, which lays the foundation for many other health impediments. This is because of the accrual of the fat along the liver. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the other health issues that LDL cholesterol can cause indirectly.
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