Cholesterol levels too high?
What helps now and when medication is needed
Created: 12/23/2021 Updated: 12/23/2021, 9:01 AM
From: Juliane Gutmann
You don't know what your cholesterol level is like?
Then quickly to the doctor.
Because elevated values are considered a main risk factor for myocardial infarction.
Cholesterol is vital because it is a component of cells and the starting material for the production of various hormones.
However, it becomes dangerous if too much of the fat-like substance circulates in the body, according to a press release by the German Heart Foundation.
In particular, high LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) values increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, it continues.
The excess LDL cholesterol is deposited in the vessel walls and leads to arteriosclerosis - the main risk factor for stroke and heart attack *.
A blood test will tell whether the cholesterol level is too high.
According to the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG),
these factors drive LDL cholesterol up
:
Diet high in saturated and trans fats
little movement
smoking
very overweight
Diseases such as diabetes, rheumatism, hypothyroidism or kidney and liver diseases
Taking cortisone supplements or HIV medication
genetic predisposition
There is nothing wrong with a greasy currywurst - as long as it is seen as a luxury food and is not eaten every day.
© Jens Kalaene / dpa
Cholesterol survey
Also read:
Heart Expert Recommends: How to Lower Your Cholesterol Level Easily and Effectively
Lower cholesterol levels thanks to lifestyle changes
In healthy people, the target LDL cholesterol value is below 115 mg / dl (<3.0 mmol / l).
For patients at high risk, such as people with pronounced high blood pressure, genetically determined high cholesterol levels or smokers, an LDL cholesterol of less than 70 mg / dl (<1.8 mmol / l) should be aimed for, according to the German Heart Foundation.
Your attending physician can determine the ideal value for you.
Lifestyle changes can often bring slightly high cholesterol back to normal.
This includes:
Balanced diet with lots of vegetables, whole grain products and high quality vegetable oils (Mediterranean cuisine)
Nicotine abstinence
Regular exercise (especially endurance sports such as hiking or swimming are considered to have a healthy heart according to the German Heart Foundation)
Statins are used when the cholesterol is very high
In the case of greatly increased or hereditary high cholesterol levels, the above-mentioned measures usually do not have the desired effect. Statins are used in these cases. This group of drugs inhibits the body's own production of cholesterol in the liver, so that the LDL cholesterol level in the blood decreases. “
Statins have been proven in large scientific studies that they lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes * and that they are safe to take for many decades
", Explains Prof. Dr.
med.
Ulrich Laufs, Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Cardiology at the Leipzig University Hospital.
If the therapy with statins does not have the desired effect, other cholesterol-lowering drugs can be tried, according to the press release of the German Heart Foundation.
Your treating doctor can decide which treatment makes the most sense for you.
(jg) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.