Cholesterol is one of the most important substances in the human body because it is the precursor to every hormone in the human body and is required as a cellular component in nearly all living things. It is also present in the skin as dehydrocholesterol and is responsible for the synthesis of vitamin D. While cholesterol is extremely vital for the body, having too much cholesterol in the blood is the leading cause of heart disease. This is a condition called hypercholesterolemia which will lead to atherosclerosis. Preventing this kind of arterial blockage requires drugs, exercise, and a change in the dietary regime.
The test for cholesterol would lead to the following results: under 200 mg/dl is a level that will not put one at the risk of heart disease, between 200-240 is an acceptable risk of heart disease, while anything higher than 240 is a very high risk. Testing for cholesterol is done with an analysis of the blood. A 12 hour fasting period is prescribed for this test as eating anything during this time could alter the values of the test. It is worth noting that it is not just serum cholesterol that is tested but also the levels of Low Density Lipoprotein or LDL and High Density Lipoprotein is also tested. These are the carriers of cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol is a hydrophobic substance that is quite similar to the consistency of oil; therefore, it cannot be carried in the blood normally because of the density of blood. It is for this reason that an intermediate protein is required. Normally, the body creates serum albumin for this purpose but specifically for cholesterol, the carriers are LDL and HDL. When there is too much cholesterol in the blood, LDL will carry this cholesterol and end up depositing it in the heart; however, HDL will sequester this back into the liver. It is for this reason that LDL is called bad cholesterol and HDL, good.
Preventing atherosclerosis is done by using statins. These are drugs that inhibit the production of cholesterol in the liver by blocking certain enzymes. Simvastatin is one of the more common medications for this. Curiously, naturally occurring statins can be acquired in the diet from consuming oyster mushrooms and red yeast rice. Another method to reduce cholesterol is to ingest phytosterol or plant cholesterol. This is not as dangerous as cholesterol and actually displaces cholesterol.
Author Resource:-
Kevin Pederson is the chief contributor of content for http://www.medicalhealthtests.com, an authoritative source for information on medical tests. The articles are not only informative and insightful, but they are also simple and intelligible. This makes them a reliable resource for anyone seeking information on medical tests.
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