Cholesterol is a biological molecule that is extremely important for a number of cellular and tissue related functions. According to the American Heart Association, you get about 25 percent of your total cholesterol from your dietary intake and the other 75 percent is synthesized by your body. While high cholesterol numbers can lead to a number of health complications like heart disease, heart attack and stroke, excessively low cholesterol levels can also lead to adverse health conditions.
Depression
Similar to cases of high cholesterol, you may not feel or notice any signs or symptoms if your cholesterol levels are lower than normal. According to MayoClinic.com, there does appear to be some link between abnormally low cholesterol levels and depression. A study published in a January 1996 issue of the "Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine," researchers suggested that the low cholesterol levels affect the way cells in the brain communicate which could be the cause of the depressive symptoms. If you are suddenly feeling very depressed, you may want to have your blood checked to see, amongst other diagnostic factors, whether or not you suffer from low cholesterol.
Anxiety Disorder
According to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library, anxiety disorders are described as a distressing sensation of nervousness and anxiousness that results in sweating, dizziness, a rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath. For some people, anxiety disorder can have socially crippling effects that causes them to completely avoid specific situations and even the general public in severe cases. According to a report published in the "Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine," researchers found that there was a link between an increase in depression and anxiety and low lipid and cholesterol levels in women. Treatment for anxiety is usually a combination of psychotherapy and pharmacological therapy. However if you have extremely low cholesterol and your doctor thinks that it may be related to your anxiety disorder, you may want to consider increasing your dietary cholesterol intake in a manner that is approved by your doctor.
Low Blood Cholesterol
While low cholesterol may show some physiological signs in the form of depression and anxiety, there may be no other obvious symptoms. The only way to know for sure if you suffer from low cholesterol is to get a simple blood test. Healthy total cholesterol levels are between 160 and 200 mg/dL, while anything outside of that range may considered either low or high, and may put you at risk for certain health complications including depression and anxiety if it is too low.
References
- American Heart Association: About Cholesterol
- MayoClinic.com: Can your total cholesterol level be too low?
- "Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine: Psychosomatic Medicine": Higher Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms in Middle-Aged Men With Low Serum Cholesterol Levels
- Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Anxiety Disorders Introduction
- "Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine: Psychosomatic Medicine": Relations of Trait Depression and Anxiety to Low Lipid and Lipoprotein Concentrations in Healthy Young Adult Women
