Is high cholesterol a symptom of something else? It is not actually a disease, but a metabolic derangement that can be caused by other diseases and can contribute to other diseases. The biggest danger of hypercholesterolemia (higher than normal cholesterol levels) is heart disease.

The most common kind of age-related heart disease is atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. There are several kinds of particles that transport cholesterols around the body. They are all called lipoproteins, but they are broken down into groups according to the number of proteins and the number of lipids (fats) that make up the particle.

The number of proteins and lipids affects the density and buoyancy of the particles. The range of density varies from very low to high.

The high density lipoproteins (HDL) are sometimes referred to as "good", while the low density LDL particles are often referred to as bad. The reference has to do with the fact that the LDL particles can penetrate the endothelium of the blood vessels and become stuck. Eventually, the particles can become oxidized or hardened.

The more LDL particles and total triglycerides in the bloodstream, the greater the chance that some of them will become oxidized. Thus most doctors consider high cholesterol a symptom of something else: atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis, known colloquially as hardening of the arteries, is one of the most common heart diseases among elderly people. As the LDL particles build up and become hardened, blood flow to the extremities is reduced.

Blood pressure increases as the heart begins to work harder. Eventually, the passage ways become narrow. They can close off completely or a chunk of the hardened mess can fall off and get stuck in the heart, causing a heart attack. If the chunk travels to the brain and forms a clot, it will cause a stroke. Understandably, some doctors consider high cholesterol a symptom of something else, an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

Diseases that contribute to imbalanced cholesterol-levels include diabetes and hypothyroidism. Anything that affects the liver's function could ultimately affect the blood profiles. Kidney disease, anorexia nervosa and Zieve's syndrome are among the diseases that can cause higher than normal cholesterol-levels. Type II diabetes is relatively common and the incidence is expected to increase in years to come, despite evidence that it is preventable.

Is high cholesterol a symptom of something else? It could be a symptom of too many simple carbs in the diet. Although initial research focused only on dietary sources of cholesterol, there seem to be other factors to consider.

Ideally, the modern diet would be as it was thousands of years ago, but it has changed greatly. We should eat meat or vegan protein, fruits, vegetables, seeds and whole grains like wild rice. We should not eat all of the simple refined carbohydrates; sugars and junk foods.

Is high cholesterol a symptom of something else? It could be a symptom of a lack of nutrients in the diet. So, a good dietary supplement could help.



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