Number One Killer (Cholesterol)
Atherosclerosis
Introduction
Atherosclerosis is when the wall of the blood vessels develops abnormalities leading to narrowing and hardening of the blood vessels.
At the onset, there are usually no symptoms, in some cases, symptoms generally begin around middle age, often presenting as a silent death. Almost all people are affected to some degree by the age of 65. It is the number one cause of death and disability with more than 50% of deaths worldwide.
It can result in a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and leg amputation depending on which blood vessels are affected.
Causes
Just like diabetes, obesity is the main risk factor for getting atherosclerosis. The inner lining of the blood vessels especially arteries get damaged and repaired naturally, however, people who are obese likely have a lot of cholesterol (type of fats) in the blood which gets inside the damaged layer and the body responds by trying to remove it, the cells which were suppose to remove the cholesterol themselves became foam like cells and look a fat streak, also there is blood clotting. Due to the reduction of the lumen of the arteries, the body still tries to contain it by covering it with a layer of muscles and calcium to keep blood following through. Those fat cells can dislodge from the lining covering move through the bloodstream and lodge in a narrower part of the lumen leading to blockage of the blood vessels as well as blood clots.
There are different types of cholesterol in the blood that play multiple crucial roles in the body. There is a lipoprotein which is a combination of lipids and proteins that carry other cholesterols, other types of fats, and fat-soluble products like some vitamins in the bloodstream. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL) are the ones that deposit in the blood vessels when an injury happens to the inner layer which is why they are called bad cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is responsible for removing the other lipoproteins like LDL and other fat cells from the bloodstream to the liver to be metabolized and excreted, hence why it is called good cholesterol.
Hypertension, diabetes, autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, chronic stress, excessive intake of alcohol, and tobacco smoking lead to atherosclerosis because of recurrent damage to the inner lining of the arteries and exposing cholesterol to enter the blood vessel's inner layer starting the process of atherosclerosis.
Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder whereby families have high levels of LDL cholesterols.
Therapy
Some medications can reduce the production of cholesterol in the body called statins, normally prescribed to people with a history of metabolic illness of age beyond 50. However, those medications have a multitude of side effects like disabling muscle pains, brain decline, and even an increased risk of diabetes and cancers.
There are simple things you can do to avoid and eliminate atherosclerosis like
- Foods that are full of saturated fat like processed food, fried food, and overconsumption of meat and milk all increase LDL while foods that have unsaturated fat like avocado increase HDL.
- Fasting gives the body time to digest the cholesterols.
- Enough daily exercises minimum 30 minutes.
- Getting regular sleep.
- Meditating to reduce stress.
- Taking vitamin B3-rich food like liver and fish.
- Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol intake.
- Early screening for hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia (high lipids in the blood).
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