How High Cholesterol Leads to Atherosclerosis

High cholesterol levels can lead to clogged arteries that come from a  process known as atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. Having the right level of cholesterol helps lower the risk of problems caused by clogged arteries. That includes heart attacks and strokes.

But what makes cholesterol so bad for you? And how does treating high cholesterol help? 

Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis: The Bad and the Good

Cholesterol is a kind of fat found in your blood. Your liver makes it because cells and certain organs need it. Your body also gets cholesterol from some of the foods you eat. But if your body gets too much, the cholesterol can do serious damage, especially inside your arteries.

Some people think that all cholesterol is “bad.” But there are different kinds of cholesterol, and too much of one kind certainly is bad. But there’s another kind of cholesterol that is “good” because it helps keep your body well.

The "bad" cholesterol is called LDL or low-density lipoprotein. LDL can damage your arteries that carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body. Then once the damage has started, LDL keeps on penetrating and building up in the artery walls.

As the deposits grow, your body tries to clean them up. White blood cells and other kinds of cells that are part of your body’s defense attack the buildup and chew it up. But over time, those cells and the resulting debris become part of the buildup. Over years, the deposits grow larger and form what’s called plaque.

The "good" cholesterol is known as HDL or high-density lipoprotein. HDL circulates through your body, acting like a cholesterol magnet. It gathers up the bad cholesterol and moves it out of your arteries. Eventually, much of the cholesterol is either eliminated from your body, delivered to tissues such as the liver, or used to make hormones.

As plaques grow inside your arteries, they eventually start to block the flow of blood. Some LDL-rich plaques grow in a slow, controlled way. While they may eventually narrow arteries enough to cause symptoms, the body generally adapts. And this type of blockage seldom causes heart attacks.

But other plaques are unstable. The white blood cells and other cells the body sends to consume the plaque also release enzymes. These enzymes dissolve some of the tissue called collagen that holds the plaque together. When that happens, the plaque deposit can rupture. Then the debris from it can cause a blood clot to form inside the artery. Sometimes, within minutes, this clot can cut off the blood that goes to the heart or the brain and cause a heart attack or stroke.

Cholesterol Treatment: Down With the Bad, Up With the Good

As your cholesterol level gets higher, so does the likelihood that more plaques will form. The link between cholesterol and life threatening events makes treating high cholesterol a priority. Changes in lifestyle can improve cholesterol level and reduce the risks that come with atherosclerosis:

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• Exercise with or without weight loss increases "good" HDL cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
• A diet high in fiber and low in fats can lower "bad" LDL cholesterol.
• Oily fish and other foods high in omega 3 fatty acids can raise “good” HDL cholesterol. 
• Avoid deep fried, and processed foods  

6 Dietary and Lifestyle Tips To Lower LDL Levels

To dramatically lower your LDL cholesterol levels without resorting to high doses of Statins (and maybe even eliminating the need for statins altogether), follow these 6 dietary/lifestyle tips:

• 1. Limit your intake of foods full of saturated fats, trans fats, and dietary cholesterol.

  Foods with a lot of saturated fat include butter, fatty flesh like red meat, full-fat and low-fat dairy products, palm oil, and coconut oil. If you see partially hydrogenated fat in the Ingredient List of a food label, that food has trans fats. Top sources of dietary cholesterol include egg yolks, organ meats, and shellfish.
  One type of fat – omega-3 fatty acids – has been shown to protect against heart disease. Good sources are cold-water fish like salmon, mackerel, halibut, trout, herring, and sardines.

  To help you translate the above guidelines into daily food planning, here are key guidelines:

  Select low-fat dairy foods only, 2 servings daily.
  Limit your intake of meat, poultry, and fish to no more than 3.5 to 4 ounces per day. From the choices below, which are listed from best to worst, try to select almost always from the top. At least two to three times weekly, choose omega-3-rich fish.
  1. Omega-3-Rich Fish. Best Choice.
  2. Mollusks (clams, oysters, mussels, scallops)
  3. Crustaceans (shrimp, crabs, lobster, crawfish)
  4. Poultry (chicken, turkey – white meat only)
  5. Game Meat (bison, venison, elk, ostrich)
  6. Red Meat (beef, pork, lamb, veal). Worst Choice.
  Red meats are the least desirable choice because they not only tend to have the highest proportion of saturated fats, they are also higher in heme iron, which likely raises the risk of type 2 diabetes and colo-rectal cancer. Red meats also alter the gut’s microbiome, which new research indicates may raise cardiovascular disease risk.

• 2. Eat a lot more fiber-rich foods (especially soluble fiber from foods like beans, oats, barley, fruits, and vegetables).

  Foods naturally rich in soluble fiber have proven particularly good at lowering cholesterol. Excellent sources include oats, oat bran, barley, peas, yams, sweet potatoes and other potatoes, as well as legumes or beans, such as pinto beans, black beans, and garbanzo beans. Vegetables rich in soluble fiber include carrots, beets, okra, and eggplant. Good fruit sources are berries.

• 3. Choose protein-rich plant foods (such as legumes or beans, nuts, and seeds) over meat.

  Common legumes include lentils, peas, and beans, such as pinto beans, red beans, white beans, and soybeans. They’re full of nutritional riches and are a very healthy, protein-packed alternative to meat. Legumes help lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, blood sugar, and insulin levels, and may even lower cancer risk.
  Nuts and seeds have been proven to modestly lower LDL cholesterol levels. To avoid blood-pressure-raising salt, choose raw or dry roasted, unsalted varieties. To avoid gaining weight, don’t eat more than 1 ounce daily since nuts and seeds are dense with calories (averaging about 175 calories per ounce).

• 4. Lose as much excess weight as possible.

  Losing excess weight is beneficial for all sorts of reasons, from improving your cholesterol profile to preventing diseases epidemic in industrialized societies, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, gout, and many types of cancer.
  Do keep in mind that it’s important to limit fat intake, even so-called “good” fats like olive oil, because any fat is dense with calories, which means heavy consumption can easily lead to a heavy body.
  
  NOTE: The above steps contain the key food groups that have cholesterol-lowering properties. The supplements described in Tips 5 and 6 may provide additional LDL lowering.

• 5. Take plant Sterol supplements.

  Sterols are naturally occurring substances found in plants. A daily intake of 1 to 2 grams of plant sterols has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol levels. Your best choice is supplements, such as CholestOff (by Nature Made), because they do not have the calories, sugar, trans fats, and/or salt of many foods enriched with plant sterols.

• 6. Take psyllium (such as Metamucil).

  Psyllium husks are seed grains sold as a soluble fiber supplement and laxative. Metamucil is the best known brand, but psyllium is also available in less expensive store brands. Studies have shown that 9 to 10 grams daily of psyllium, the equivalent of about 3 teaspoons daily of Sugar-Free Metamucil, reduced LDL levels.
  To get the cholesterol-lowering benefit, take 1 teaspoon with water no more than 15 to 30 minutes before a meal.

Source: www.webmd.com , www.pritikin.com