Nowadays the problem of abnormally high level of cholesterol in the blood is being a burning issue of the medical discussions. Before regarding the way how abnormally high level of cholesterol may affect the health of a person, we should first of all understand what cholesterol is and why it is important for our body.

Cholesterol is a substance of a waxy type, which exists in the fat, tissues, and blood. All the cells of our body comprise cholesterol, which is responsible for the formation of cell membranes and some hormones, for breaking down and digesting fat. Cholesterol is provided by the liver and carried around the whole organism in the bloodstream. At the same time cholesterol could be found in many products, which we eat everyday, for example, dairy products, meat and eggs. The exceeded eating of high cholesterol products may lead to its increase in the blood, what in its turn may cause hypercholesterolemia, i.e. the excess of cholesterol in the blood. Hypercholesterolemia is the main reason of coronary heart disease, which may lead to a heart attack.

The distinguishing feature of cholesterol is its non-dissolving character. It’s carried around by lipoproteins, which fall into low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

The abnormally high level of low-density lipoprotein in the blood may bring about insufficient feeding of the heart and brain, because of the building up in the arteries. Along with other substances the high level of low-density lipoprotein creates a hard deposit, known as “plaque”, which encumbers the transportation of the blood to the heart and brain. Such a state is known as atherosclerosis. At the same time a thrombus is formed near the plaque. The thrombus hinders the normal blood flow to the heart, which may result in a heart attack. That is why abnormally high level of cholesterol of this type, which is usually called “bad” cholesterol, is regarded as a risk factor for a heart disease.

HDL cholesterol is on the contrary regarded as “good” cholesterol, because it is believed to lower the level of unnecessary cholesterol and thus makes the risk of a heart attack smaller. But it should be taken into account that a low HDL level makes the possibility of a heart attack on the contrary more probable.