High Cholesterol Specialist

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a wax-like substance produced by your liver. You need cholesterol for your cellular membrane growth, hormone production, vitamin D production, and nerve protection.

Your liver produces the amount your body needs. However, you can accumulate a surplus of cholesterol from certain foods that are high in saturated and trans fats, which can lead to serious health problems.

How do high cholesterol levels develop?

Cholesterol travels through your bloodstream, attached to proteins. The protein and cholesterol combined together are called a lipoprotein.

You have two types of cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is bad, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which is good. The LDL transports cholesterol throughout your body, causing a buildup in your artery walls, which can become hard and narrow. The HDL picks up the extra cholesterol in your body and sends it back to your liver.

When you have too much of the bad and not enough of the good, the buildup on your arteries’ inner walls can affect your heart and brain.

What causes high cholesterol?

Several factors can play a role in causing high cholesterol, including:

• Obesity
• Poor diet
• Lack of physical activity
• Smoking
• High alcohol consumption
• Diabetes 
• Age
• Stress

When your cholesterol levels get too high, the overproduction can cause serious health issues, such as heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

How can I lower my high cholesterol?

The American Heart Association recommends three steps to remember when it comes to your cholesterol:

Check

Knowing your numbers can help you know your risk and help you control your levels. If you have heart disease or diabetes in your family history, you should have your levels checked more often.

Change

Making improvements to your diet, adding exercise to your life, and making positive, healthy changes to your overall lifestyle can get your cholesterol levels where you want them to be. 

Control 

The team at Stephen Renzi Medical PC can give you guidance on ways to control your intake of cholesterol and reduce future health concerns.

To find out your cholesterol levels and to get guidance on how to control them, schedule an appointment by calling the practice or scheduling your visit online today.