Overview

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like stuff manufactured by liver and present in certain foods like animal foods or eggs, meat or dairy products. A small amount of cholesterol is required by our body for proper functioning. The cell walls require cholesterol for proper functioning. They need cholesterol to produce hormones, vitamin D and the bile acids which aid in fat digestion. Excess of cholesterol can lead to formation of a thick, hard substance called plaque in the arteries, thus thinning the room for blood to flow to the heart. It can cause hardening of the arteries leading to heart disease.
Symptoms

There are no specific symptoms of high cholesterol. The presence of other risk factors along with high cholesterol can lead to severe health intricacies like heart disease, diabetes, stroke or other health problems. Cholesterol management is essential to prevent the occurrence of these diseases.

Types of Cholesterol

Cholesterol moves in the blood by attaching to a protein and this cholesterol-protein is called a lipoprotein. Lipoproteins are categorized depending whether protein present relative to fat is high density, low density, or very low density.

LDL cholesterol - LDL cholesterol sticks to the walls of your arteries and enhances your probability of heart disease. It is good to have lower levels of LDL cholesterol. The table below explains what the numbers mean.

People with heart disease or diabetes must get their LDL cholesterol below 80.

HDL cholesterol: The higher the number, the lower the risk of getting a heart disease. It protects your heart by taking the bad cholesterol out of your body.

Causes of high Cholesterol

A lot of factors can change your cholesterol levels. They are:

Diet: A diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol can raise your cholesterol levels.
Weight: Being overweight can lead to high cholesterol levels. If you lose weight, you can improve your

HDL levels and lower your LDL and total cholesterol levels.

Exercise: A daily routine of exercise can decrease your LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol.
Age and Gender: With age the cholesterol levels increase. Prior to menopause, women have lower total

cholesterol levels as compared to men but after menopause women's LDL levels increase.

Diabetes: If diabetes is not controlled, it can increases cholesterol levels. 
Heredity: High cholesterol runs in families. Your genes decide the amount of cholesterol produced in your body.

Diagnosis of high Cholesterol

It is vital to test your cholesterol levels at least once in two years after the age of 20. Because of absence of any symptom, many people remain uninformed about their cholesterol levels. Decreasing cholesterol levels decreases the risk for getting a heart disease, thus reducing the probability of a heart attack. A simple blood test called a lipoprotein profile is used to evaluate cholesterol levels. This test assesses the following:

• Bad cholesterol or LDL (low density lipoprotein cholesterol)
• Good cholesterol or HDL (high density lipoprotein cholesterol)
• Triglycerides (Very low density lipoprotein)
• Complete cholesterol level

The doctor also does a complete physical examination, checks your medical history, your heart rate and heart beat, and takes your blood pressure.
In case your cholesterol is high, your doctor will advocate different treatment choices varying from dietary as well as lifestyle modifications to medications to decrease your cholesterol. In case, you are at a risk of heart disease, further tests are recommended.

Prevention of high Cholesterol

A healthy lifestyle that includes exercises and a low-fat diet can decrease the high cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. A simple blood test can check your high cholesterol. A complete lipid profile must be performed to measures LDL, total cholesterol, HDL and triglycerides.

• The diet should be based on proper procedures set by dietician. You can intake less than 5% calories from saturated fat and not more than 200 mg cholesterol from your food. Around 25% of your calories can be from unsaturated fats.
• You should eat more of soluble fiber which is present in cereal grains, beans, peas, and many vegetables. The foods that are low in cholesterol are:
• Whole wheat Breads
• Corn or whole wheat foods
• Cereals except for granola or muesli
• Rice
• Grains such as quinoa, barley, bulgur, couscous, hominy, or millets
• Any fresh, dried, or frozen fruits without any added sugar
• Any fresh or frozen vegetable
• Fat-free milk
• Cheese with low levels of fat
• Low-fat  yogurt
• Slant cuts of meat which are eye of round beef, sirloin, or pork tenderloin
• Chicken or light meat without skin
• Fish.
• Tuna which is a light meat preserved in water
• Peanut butter
• Egg whites
• Popcorn without any oil
• Baked tortilla chips
• Soft margarine
• Vegetable oil used should be olive, sunflower, peanut, or corn
• You must go through newsletter, cookbooks and fitness magazines for a healthy heart

Treatment 

Some changes that can lower your cholesterol are:

• Low cholesterol diet
• Quit smoking: Smoking decreases HDL cholesterol levels.
• Exercise increases HDL cholesterol and can aid in controlling weight, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

If these factors are of no help, you may be required to go for cholesterol lowering medicines.
Cholesterol-lowering medicines are:

• Statins
• Fibric acid derivatives
• Niacin
• Bile-acid resins

Living and managing

In order to decrease the risk of heart disease, you need to follow some nutrition strategies. They are:

• You must eat more of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. .
• You must intake minimum amount of saturated fats and trans-fatty acids.
• The commonly eaten protein foods such as meat and dairy products increase the risk of heart disease risk. You need to take balanced amount of fish, animal and vegetable sources of protein.
• Eat more complex carbohydrates like whole wheat pasta, brown rice or whole-grain breads. You must avoid simple carbohydrates found in soft drinks, sugar, sweets etc.
• Leaving out meals can cause overeating so it is better to eat 5-6 mini mealing to keep the eating cravings under control.