"The Silent Killer": Everything you need to know about the risks of high cholesterol
High cholesterol can cause life-threatening diseases.
What are the risk factors, is there such a thing as "bad" cholesterol and what about treatments?
Dr. Chen Gurevitz, a cardiologist and head of the preventive cardiology clinic at Rabin Medical Center, explains in detail
Novartis, served as a public service sponsored by Novartis
16/06/2022
Thursday, 16 June 2022, 11:37
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More than 40 percent of people over the age of 55 suffer from high cholesterol, also known as the silent killer, which can lead to life-threatening diseases in the long run.
On the occasion of Cholesterol Awareness Week, we spoke with Dr. Chen Gurevitz, a
cardiologist and head of a preventive cardiology clinic at the Rabin Medical Center's Cardiology Department, to better understand how cholesterol affects our body and how to deal with it.
First, what is cholesterol?
.
In fact, it is one of the most important ingredients for building cells in our body.
It is commonly thought that cholesterol is only negative, but we need it to build cells and hormones. "
Is there good cholesterol and is there bad cholesterol?
"It's actually about the carriers of the same cholesterol. The good is actually the carrier that carries the cholesterol we talked about, from the bloodstream into the cells. The bad cholesterol does the opposite - it pulls them out of the cells and puts them in the bloodstream. "Blood circulation, which is why it is so notorious, because when cholesterol accumulates in the bloodstream, it can sink into the cell walls and create the phenomenon we call atherosclerosis."
We hear about cholesterol usually in the context of food.
why?
"Some cholesterol depends on diet. Of course it should be balanced and you should know not to overdo it, but of the various fats we have in the bloodstream, cholesterol, and specifically bad cholesterol, is less affected by diet. Yes, there is an effect but it is not the main or only thing. "Every person's fats will also be determined by their genetics. Sometimes people come to me who swear they eat the healthiest diet there can be, and yet very high cholesterol levels that sometimes go to heaven, and then find out that mom was like that or the siblings."
What about risk factors?
"Cholesterol is affected by magnetics, compared to atherosclerosis which is not just cholesterol - it can also be smoking, high blood pressure and more. There are other risk factors for atherosclerosis that are affected by our longevity."
Can children also suffer from high cholesterol?
"In families that are known to have high cholesterol, the recommendation is to check the children as well."
What about treatment methods?
"Apart from lifestyle changes, those with high cholesterol come for medication. These are drugs that have been known for many, many years. They reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood and have the ability to reverse the process of atherosclerosis."
What about an atherosclerosis vaccine?
"The fact that there is a vaccine does not mean that the person who receives it can overeat unconsciously or live incorrectly, because it is not just cholesterol, there are other risk factors for atherosclerosis, such as obesity, for example. ".
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Cholesterol
