We analyze a sample of blood after a fasting period of at least 12 hours (you can only drink water), to measure total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. To avoid mistakes is to know that some drugs and pregnancy have elevated cholesterol and which, by contrast, shows a transient for many diseases, such as a myocardial infarction.

In some patients with severe hereditary hypercholesterolemia can be found outside of cholesterol deposits above. Whenever you are high cholesterol, your doctor should look for possible signs of cardiovascular disease by measuring blood pressure and auscultation of the heart and check arterial pulses (voltage measurement). It should also measure the amount of glucose in blood, assess renal function and perform an electrocardiogram (ECG).When to treat high cholesterol with medication?

The first steps to treat hypercholesterolemia is a proper diet (lipid lowering), reduce excess weight and exercising regularly. When these changes in diet and lifestyle are not possible or have not achieved a sufficient reduction in cholesterol level, must be made, if necessary, treatment with medication.

This decision depends on the global cardiovascular risk due to the presence or absence of other factors, or if you have symptoms of cardiovascular disease. As the case of each person chooses a specific figure for total cholesterol and LDL from which should be treated with drugs and sets targets to be achieved. In any case, it is important to know that when you really need drug treatment, usually for good.

The most effective medications to reduce cholesterol are called statins present, which, while expensive, have relatively few side effects. You can also use powder with fibrates and resins.

credit to: Dr. Juan de Dios García-Díaz, Dr. Neal Uren, Dr. Stephen C. P. Collins, Dra. Annebirthe Bo Hansen

Atherosclerosis is a slow process so that, over the years, fat and cholesterol is deposited on the walls of the arteries (atherosclerotic plaques). This results in hardening and narrowing, which reduces the amount of blood that can pass through them and reduces the necessary irrigation for different organs. Over time, the artery can become blocked and thus cause a heart attack in areas that depend on their blood supply (resulting in the death of these tissues).Therefore, when symptoms are caused by arterial disease. These depend on the degree of obstruction and the organ supplied by the affected arteries. An additional problem is the possibility that plaque ruptures, causing a blood clot (thrombus) that blocks an abrupt and total artery.

- In the brain can be blocked by a branching arterial thrombus, leaving an area of ​​the brain without blood flow, leading to a stroke. At other times, it can burst artery and results in bleeding. Either of these conditions can cause similar symptoms and are known as stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA). There may also be forming small clots in the arteries of the neck and reach the brain for a short time obstruct a small branch vessel (transient ischemic attack or TIA). However, when repeated latter must fear the possibility of a stroke.

- In the heart, narrowing of the coronary arteries cause angina, and disruption of a fatty plaque (atheroma) produced coronary thrombosis leading to myocardial infarction. If a significant amount of damaged heart tissue, there may be a reduction in the ability of the heart to pump blood (heart failure).

- The partial blockage of arteries in the legs produce a typical pain when walking which disappears when you stop and is known as intermittent claudication. If you come to produce a very rapid or complete obstruction of the arteries, lack of irrigation results in the death of all tissues (acute ischemia), forcing the amputation of the limb.

It is very common for people with atherosclerosis have affected both arteries from different parts or organs. Besides those already mentioned, are ill the great aorta (from the heart and is distributing the blood throughout the body), the arteries of the kidney and the intestine (mesenteric arteries).

credit to: Dr. Juan de Dios García-Díaz, Dr. Neal Uren, Dr. Stephen C. P. Collins, Dra. Annebirthe Bo Hansen

On the other hand, the importance of high cholesterol is very different, as well as by the ratio of LDL and HDL, as the existence of other risk factors for atherosclerosis such as smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure (hypertension), or a history familiar with cases of cardiovascular disease. It is possible, for example, that a person has an elevated cholesterol level and cardiovascular risk in the end, is relatively low due to the absence of other risk factors and family history.Although there are differences between normal cholesterol levels for each sex and age, as a general guideline, you can give the following categories according to levels of total cholesterol:

- Ideal level: less than 200 mg/dL

- Slightly elevated cholesterol: 200 to 240 mg/dL

- Moderately elevated cholesterol: 240 to 300 mg/dL

- Cholesterol very high: above 300 mg/dL.

However, if a person has shown symptoms of cardiovascular disease such as angina or myocardial infarction, or you have had angioplasty or bypass surgery in his heart, must receive medical treatment to maintain their LDL cholesterol below 100 mg/dL.

What causes elevated cholesterol level?

Cholesterol levels in many different factors involved: race, geographic origin, diet, lifestyle, etc. And in the countries of southern Europe such as Spain, the average levels of cholesterol are lower than in the north or the United States.

The main factor is, however, influence or heredity. This is the reason that there are several people with high cholesterol in the same family. There is an inherited form that produces slight elevations of the levels, but when there are many families with very high cholesterol should be suspected of a serious disease of metabolism, such as familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) or familial combined hyperlipidemia (HFC), in which triglycerides are also high. In some cases, the cholesterol is high due to other diseases, such as a defect of thyroid hormone, kidney disease or diabetes. A very common cause of elevated triglycerides is excessive intake of alcohol.

credit to: Dr. Juan de Dios García-Díaz, Dr. Neal Uren, Dr. Stephen C. P. Collins, Dra. Annebirthe Bo Hansen

A high cholesterol level in blood is not a problem in the short term, but if sustained for a long time, accelerates the development of atherosclerosis, arterial degenerative process associated with age, which is a hardening and narrowing of the arteries carry blood to different organs and body parts.

It is often said that there are two types of cholesterol: “good” cholesterol, called high density lipoprotein (HDL, the acronym), and “bad”, consisting of low density lipoprotein (LDL).LDL cholesterol transport and yield to all tissues and excess favors disease of the arteries (cardiovascular disease). HDL have, however, a beneficial effect, by collecting and returning excess cholesterol to the liver. Thus prevent the development of atherosclerosis.

The ratio between the two forms of cholesterol (LDL and HDL) is what actually influences the occurrence of atherosclerosis and its complications early age (which is called the cardiovascular risk for developing thrombosis in the heart, brain, etc.). .

LDL cholesterol level can be reduced with a diet low in fat and, if necessary, medication. HDL cholesterol level can be increased by exercise, reducing excess weight and quitting smoking.

credit to: Dr. Juan de Dios García-Díaz, Dr. Neal Uren, Dr. Stephen C. P. Collins, Dra. Annebirthe Bo Hansen

Limit your intake of sugar. If you can not take things without sugar substitutes go to it. These things can be used effectively as a sweetener, but certainly not fattening. “Graze” 5-6 times a day. Instead of sticking to just three meals a day, “doing pastoral.” This means you can perfectly eat 5 or 6 small meals instead of three king sized meals. It’s a great way to have less food. There are many things you have to avoid from your diet, but may have an unyielding desire not to comply with its non-final consumption. Do not avoid them completely.

You can make a small difference with your favorite foods and enjoy them from time to time. But be careful to only feel a tingling in your mouth and do not jump headlong over them. Instead they completely dominate it, share this food with others. Watch your fat intake. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories so by reading the total calories in a food and know how much fat can estimate the percentage of it in no way should be greater than 30% of the food. Remember that too much salt is one of the causes of obesity. Try to cut trough even really salt. Try to reduce your salt intake by half than it was last year.

Change from table butter to cholesterol-free butter. If you have a choice, why not go for it, that is, the way it is healthier for you and tastes the same way. Note that these small changes can go a long way towards reducing weight. Instead of frying things try baking them without fat. Baking is by far a healthier method of preparing food frying. Baking requires less oil or fat.

Good fats
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are the best option as they help lower bad cholesterol levels while maintaining good cholesterol levels. Some foods containing these fats are peanut oil, olive oil, canola oil and nuts. Other recommended fats are avocados and flaxseed, chia seeds and others.

Fats that raise cholesterol
All animal fat and hydrogenated fats like butter and margarine (there are not hydrogenated and is indicated on the package).

Almost all fried foods have trans fats as well as most pre-prepared meals. Panaderilla bread and butter tends to have almost all fast food.

What to do to stay healthy

1. Routine medical tests identify whether there are problems with cholesterol.
2. A healthy lifestyle that includes healthy eating and exercise are part of prevention and cure.

Natural Treatments
There are some natural cures that have proven to be successful. We can say that it must always follow your doctor’s instructions. Among the priests:

1. B group vitamins including niacin
2. Eating garlic either in foods or supplements
3. Chromium (Chromium) reduces LDL and increases HDL (good cholesterol)
4. Coenzyme Q10 (Coenzyme Q10)
5. Eat fiber and slow cooking oats, vegetables and whole grains.
6. Carnitine (Carnitine), increases good cholesterol
7. Eat either flaxseed oil or grain
8. Grape Seed Extract
9. Consuming vitamin C
10. Eating soy

Triglycerides are fats, or more lipids, the body needs for the formation of structures essential for cells and therefore travel through the bloodstream. Considered a great reservoir of energy for our body. As with cholesterol, the liver is the main factory of triglycerides in our body. It is not often isolated elevation of triglycerides without alteration of other lipids such as cholesterol, but there are familial diseases and dietary changes that can condition an increase in their normal numbers will cause hypertriglyceridemia, with the consequent emergence of pathologies associated with its increase in blood.

The increase in blood triglyceride levels may result in the presentation of pancreatitis, increased cardiovascular risk for atheroma and skin and eye disorders.

The determination of triglyceride levels is determined by a routine blood test.

What is?

The determination of plasma levels of triglycerides is important to know the occurrence of atherogenic risk or what is the same, to prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular disease among others. This parameter helps in combination with the determination of other lipids such as cholesterol to get an idea of progression of atherosclerosis in arteries.

Furthermore, knowledge tells us about possible alterations of lipid metabolism in familial and may therefore transmitted to and the clinical consequences that this entails. We also prevents the onset of disease, if it is high, such as acute pancreatitis or xanthomas or accumulations of fat in certain areas of the skin. Diseases such as diabetes mellitus may condition an increase in triglycerides as well as the intake of certain drugs such as oral contraceptives, heavy alcohol consumption, and so on.

It is therefore an important predictor of disease so that their knowledge is necessary when practicing what is known as Preventive Medicine.

When should be

As in almost all diagnostic tests should be your primary care physician to determine the need and time to do them, but serve as a council that could benefit the entire adult population had completed at least control their numbers of lipids at least every 5 years.

Depending on the condition you have, for example diabetes mellitus, or drugs that are taken, eg oral contraceptives, or the additional risk that is taken to present cardiovascular disease, your doctor will advise its determination with varying frequency . Maybe even every 6 months, although it is normal to do this every year or every 2 years.

In children, unless any known pathology or medical condition so warrants did not require this analysis.

Nevertheless it is true that when doctors performed a general analysis for anything else, we also ask the determination of triglycerides and thus know their status.

Factors affecting results

In any general blood test, candidates must apply without special preparation, fasting, and without fear. It is true that some councils should look like:

• No change of diet in the days or weeks before the analysis
• No weight changes have happened recently or diseases that have caused prolonged bed rest
• Do not take medicines beyond the control of its medical
• Do not abuse alcohol in previous days.

Finally, make a completely normal life.

Results

The normal rates of blood triglycerides are below 200 mg / dl. Are considered moderately high values of 200 to 400 mg / dl and pathological values and above these values. Values above 600 – 800 Increase the risk of acute pancreatitis.

Depending on the association of other diseases or risk factors should be added will be somewhat lower levels of the proposed but subject to taking under 200 no health problems triglycerides.

Advice to patients

As has been said before, should be recommended to the entire adult population to determine the levels of blood lipids, specifically triglycerides, to estimate the potential risk of disease.

Your GP’s who should test and evaluate its outcome not only in terms of the numbers to be determined but the association of other factors such as food, medical