Hyperlipidemia is the medical term used to describe when the level of lipids or fats in your bloodstream get too high. This includes cholesterol and triglycerides. This condition increases your chances of developing atherosclerosis, a hardening and narrowing of your arteries. Hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis can increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Both conditions can be present without any warning signs or symptoms. In most cases, both can be prevented by making healthy lifestyle choices. Prevention is the key. One of the first steps is to know what hyperlipidemia risk factors you have, then taking steps to control the ones you can.
Age and Genetics
The Society for Vascular Surgery says that although unhealthy lifestyle choices are the main cause of hyperlipidemia, you can also inherit it. Even if you maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle, your body may be predisposed to this condition. In addition, once a man reaches age 45 and a women reaches age 55, the risk naturally goes up due to age-related changes in the body. With age, the heart muscle doesn't work as well as it once did. This can increase pressure on your arteries. For women it happens later, after they go through menopause and their cholesterol levels tend to rise. Although there's nothing you can do about your age or genetic makeup, this doesn't mean your condition can't be controlled. Your doctor can run a simple blood test to determine your cholesterol levels and then help you form a plan to keep them at a healthy level.
Unhealthy Diet
An unhealthy diet raises your risk for hyperlipidemia in two ways. First is what your diet is made up of. Eating too much fat and cholesterol contribute to higher lipid levels in the blood. You should aim to get less than 25 percent to 35 percent of your daily caloric intake from fat, with only 7 percent from saturated fats. You should consume as little trans fats as possible. Your cholesterol intake should be under 200mg per day. In addition, consuming more calories than your body needs leads to the excess calories being stored in the body as fat. This raises your levels as well. This is true no matter whether you eat fats, carbohydrates or protein. Any excess food will be stored as fat. According to the National Cholesterol Education Program, losing weight and eating healthy lowers the bad cholesterol that gets stored in the body and raises the good kind of cholesterol that tends to be excreted from the body. High levels of the good kind of cholesterol protect you from heart disease.
Physical Inactivity
Being active also tends to lower the bad cholesterol numbers and raise the good, the Texas Heart Institute says. In addition, physical inactivity can lead to weight gain. This is why physical inactivity is also considered a risk factor for hyperlipidemia. Just 30 minutes a day of moderate activity can help lower your risk.
Diseases
Chronic diseases that make your cardiovascular system work harder can also cause high cholesterol levels. If you test positive for high cholesterol and the cause isn't obvious, your physician may look for an underlying disease. This includes kidney problems and liver disease, conditions that affect your thyroid, a malfunction of your pituitary gland, and diabetes. In many cases, when these conditions are controlled, cholesterol levels improve.
References
- Society for Vascular Surgery: What is Hyperlipidemia?
- National Cholesterol Education Program: High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need To Know
- Texas Heart Institute: Cholesterol
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: What Causes High Blood Cholesterol
- Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center: High Cholesterol
