Cholesterol and Heart Disease: Why Heart Testing Matters

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance. It is naturally produced by our liver and found in every cell of your body. It has lots of functions like-

• Helps build cell membranes
• Produces hormones like testosterone and estrogen
• Creates bile acids for digestion
• Supports the formation of vitamin D

Human body produces about 75% of the cholesterol it needs, while the remaining 25% comes from dietary sources. But the health issues arise when cholesterol levels become imbalanced. This excess cholesterol can accumulate in arterial walls. That forms dangerous plaques that narrow blood vessels and restrict blood flow to vital organs. It is a silent killer for your heart health. According to our best team of cardiologist in Kolkata at Eskag Sanjeevani Hospitals, it is highly important to check your cholesterol level after the age of 30.

Types of Cholesterol

Cholesterol travels through your bloodstream attached to proteins called lipoproteins. Here are the types of cholesterol-

Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is commonly known as “bad” cholesterol because it carries cholesterol from the liver to cells throughout the body. When LDL level gets higher, one should consult with the best heart disease specialists.

High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) serves as “good” cholesterol by transporting cholesterol from cells back to the liver for processing and removal.

Very Low-Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) carries triglycerides and some cholesterol in the blood.

Triglycerides, while not technically cholesterol, are another type of fat found in blood that’s measured alongside cholesterol levels.

Normal Cholesterol Levels

Understanding target cholesterol levels helps you assess your cardiovascular risk and work with healthcare providers to develop appropriate management strategies. The American Heart Association and other medical organizations have established guidelines based on extensive research linking cholesterol levels to heart disease risk.

Total Cholesterol Levels:

• Desirable: Less than 200 mg/dL
• Borderline high: 200-239 mg/dL
• High: 240 mg/dL and above

LDL (Bad) Cholesterol:

• Optimal: Less than 100 mg/dL
• Near optimal: 100-129 mg/dL
• Borderline high: 130-159 mg/dL
• High: 160-189 mg/dL
• Very high: 190 mg/dL and above

HDL (Good) Cholesterol:

• Low (increases risk): Less than 40 mg/dL for men, less than 50 mg/dL for women
• Acceptable: 40-59 mg/dL for men, 50-59 mg/dL for women
• High (protective): 60 mg/dL and above

Triglycerides:

• Normal: Less than 150 mg/dL
• Borderline high: 150-199 mg/dL
• High: 200-499 mg/dL
• Very high: 500 mg/dL and above

At Eskag Sanjeevani, we suggest you all to check your cholesterol level twice in a year. And that’s why we have introduced yearly health checkup packages where cholesterol level test is included. Moreover, we have a great expert team of cardiologists like Dr. Biswajit Majumder, Dr. Prof. Dr. Kanak Kumar Mitra and Dr. Avijit Banerjee. You can easily schedule an appointment with them via our website.

The Link Between Cholesterol and Heart Disease

“If [you are] over the age of 10, the question isn’t whether or not to eat healthy to prevent heart disease. It’s whether or not you want to reverse the heart disease you already have.” — Dr. Michael Greger, Physician, internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, founder of NutritionFacts.org

How to control cholesterol level in your busy and stressful life? It is actually easy and simple. Cholesterol can become a deadly threat in your bloodstream when it builds up in the wrong places. Understanding this connection is a vital part of protecting your heart’s health.

How cholesterol builds up in arteries

The process starts simply enough. Cholesterol moves through your bloodstream using carriers called lipoproteins. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) – known as “bad cholesterol” – delivers cholesterol to your body’s cells. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) – “good cholesterol” – takes extra cholesterol back to your liver to dispose of it.

Issues begin when your blood has too much LDL cholesterol. This excess LDL can work its way into your artery’s inner walls, especially at the time the delicate lining (endothelium) gets damaged from things like smoking, high blood pressure, or diabetes. The LDL changes inside the artery wall and becomes oxidized LDL (oxLDL), which sets off an inflammatory response.

Why high cholesterol increases heart disease risk

Your arteries narrow as plaque builds up, which limits blood flow to vital organs. It’s like a pipe that slowly clogs with debris – less water flows through. Your heart receives less blood flow too, which might cause chest pain (angina).

There’s another reason plaque is dangerous – it can suddenly break open and create blood clots that block arteries completely. This blockage in a coronary artery causes a heart attack, while in a brain artery, it guides to a stroke.

High cholesterol is especially dangerous because it’s silent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that about 1 in 3 adults have high cholesterol, and treatment isn’t working well enough for more than half of them, or they receive no treatment.

The role of inflammation and plaque

Inflammation is a significant part of the atherosclerosis process. The immune system responds when LDL enters the artery wall and oxidizes. White blood cells called monocytes move into the artery wall and change into macrophages that try to digest the modified LDL.

These macrophages fill up with cholesterol and become “foam cells” that are the foundations of atherosclerotic plaques. The foam cells release substances that attract more immune cells, which creates a dangerous inflammatory cycle.

The inflammatory process makes plaque unstable and likely to rupture. Unstable plaques have thin protective caps that can break easily, which triggers blood clots and might cause heart attacks or strokes.

Early Signs of Cholesterol-Related Heart Issues

Most health conditions show clear signs, but high cholesterol stays silent without obvious symptoms. Blood tests provide the only sure way to detect high cholesterol levels. Your body might send subtle warning signals as cholesterol builds up in your arteries.

Subtle symptoms in young adults

Young adults tend to ignore early warning signs of cholesterol-related heart problems. Heart issues can strike at any age – just look at Brandon Wilson, who had his first heart attack at 29, even though he knew about his genetic high cholesterol since childhood. Early warning signs that need attention include unexplained chest discomfort, extreme tiredness, and breathing problems – even without physical activity.

Signs often mistaken for stress or fatigue

Heart disease symptoms can look just like everyday stress. You might feel unusually tired after simple tasks that never bothered you before – this could mean your heart isn’t getting enough blood. On top of that, stress itself can lift your cholesterol levels, which creates a dangerous loop. People often overlook these signs:

• Mild dizziness or lightheadedness
• Slight changes in heartbeat or palpitations
• Stomach pain or indigestion that stays around
• Sleep problems with no clear reason

When to take symptoms seriously?

Some warning signs just need immediate medical help. You should call emergency services right away if chest pain lasts longer than a few minutes, especially with nausea, sweating, or pain that spreads to your arm, jaw, neck, or back. Women should watch out for unusual signs like extreme tiredness, trouble breathing, and nausea without chest pain.

Note that risk factors like your family’s health history, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure make it more likely these symptoms point to heart problems rather than harmless causes.

Risk Factors That Make Cholesterol Dangerous

Are you thinking of ‘how to reduce cholesterol​’? Cholesterol and heart disease goes hand by hand. Once cholesterol means LDL gets high, heart diseases occurs in a silent way. Risk factors can multiply the dangers of high cholesterol and turn a manageable condition into a serious threat. Understanding these factors is vital to make cholesterol control work properly.

Family history and genetics

Your genes influence your cholesterol levels by a lot. Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) makes it hard for your body to remove LDL cholesterol from your blood. This inherited condition affects about 1 in 300 people worldwide. You have a 50% chance of inheriting the condition if one of your parents has FH. Children will definitely inherit FH if both parents have it. People should watch their cholesterol levels carefully if their family has a history of early heart attacks—before age 55 in men and 65 in women.

Poor diet and sedentary lifestyle

Foods high in saturated fats raise your LDL cholesterol levels by a lot. Health experts recommend that saturated fats should not exceed 10% of your daily calories. Your cholesterol profiles can become unhealthy without enough physical activity. Taking precautions give you a good heart with zero cholesterol. Once you know which good cholesterol foods​ are suitable for you, you can change your diet.

Diabetes, hypertension, and obesity

These conditions create a dangerous combination with cholesterol. Diabetes typically lowers “good” cholesterol while raising triglycerides and “bad” cholesterol. Your odds of developing diabetes increase 12.95 times with a BMI ≥35 kg/m². The same BMI raises hypertension risk 19.44 times compared to normal weight. These conditions speed up atherosclerosis through common mechanisms that include endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation.

Smoking and alcohol use

Smoking reduces beneficial HDL cholesterol and raises harmful LDL levels. Your alcohol intake affects cholesterol based on quantity. Heavy drinking (8+ drinks daily for women, 10+ for men) makes you 2-8 times more likely to have high triglycerides and total cholesterol. These behaviors speed up arterial damage and plaque buildup.

Steps to Prevent Heart Disease from High Cholesterol

Your heart’s health depends on managing your cholesterol levels effectively. The right strategy can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by a lot.

How to control cholesterol through diet?

Your food choices directly impact your cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber in oats, barley, beans, and fruits like apples reduces cholesterol absorption. You need 5-10 grams of soluble fiber daily as part of the recommended 20-35 grams of total daily fiber. Heart-healthy alternatives like olive or canola oil work better than butter. Your LDL cholesterol can drop about 10% when you consume 2 grams of plant sterols and stanols daily.

Good Cholesterol Foods

What is good cholesterol foods? Adding the right foods into your diet is one of the most effective ways to naturally boost HDL cholesterol levels. It will reduce your LDL level as well. These good cholesterol foods work by providing essential nutrients that support healthy cholesterol metabolism and cardiovascular function.

Traditional Indian Grains and Cereals

Oats (jai), barley (jau), and brown rice are excellent sources of good cholesterol foods because it is soluble fiber that help lower LDL cholesterol while supporting healthy cholesterol levels.

Legumes and Dals

These offer good cholesterol foods through various lentils and legumes. Example- Moong dal, chana dal, masoor dal, and rajma (kidney beans)

Indian Spices and Herbs

Turmeric (haldi), garlic (lehsun), ginger (adrak), and fenugreek seeds (methi) are powerful allies if you are still thinking how to reduce cholesterol level.

Nuts and Seeds in Indian Diet

Almonds (badam), walnuts (akhrot), and pistachios (pista) are commonly consumed in Indian households and are among the best good cholesterol foods available.

Traditional Oils and Healthy Fats

Ghee is mentioned as a healthy fat.

Vegetables and Fruits Common in India

Okra (bhindi), bitter gourd (karela), bottle gourd (lauki), and drumsticks (moringa) are excellent good cholesterol foods.

Fish and Seafood

For non-vegetarian Indians, fish like hilsa, sardines, mackerel, and pomfret provide omega-3 fatty acids that help raise HDL cholesterol.

Importance of regular cholesterol test

Blood tests provide the only way to know your cholesterol status. Healthy adults should check their levels every 4-6 years. People with heart disease, diabetes, or family history of high cholesterol need more frequent testing. Kids should get their first test between ages 9-11 and follow-up testing between 17-21. Eskag Sanjeevani Hospitals offer the best health check up plans which also includes cholesterol test, LDL and triglyceride test.

Lifestyle changes that make a difference

Your HDL levels improve with 30 minutes of exercise five times weekly or 20 minutes of vigorous activity three times weekly. A modest weight loss of 5-10% can improve your cholesterol numbers. HDL levels start rising within 20 minutes after your last cigarette when you quit smoking.

Tracking your cholesterol levels over time

You may think ‘Why should I go for heck cholesterol test?’. As it is mentioned earlier, cholesterol and heart disease both are dangerous and you will never know when cholesterol A cholesterol diary helps you monitor your progress. Each new test result needs recording along with the date and your personal goals. This record shows your success and helps you stick to your plan.

Conclusion

Still thinking ‘how to reduce cholesterol​’? Don’t worry because Eskag Sanjeevani Hospitals is always at your service. You will find the best cardiologists in Kolkata here. Cholesterol and heart disease silently threaten millions worldwide. Young adults face these risks more than ever before. Your life might depend on learning about how these conditions work together. Plaque builds up slowly in your arteries when you have high cholesterol. This process involves inflammation that restricts blood flow and could cause heart attacks or strokes. These conditions develop quietly, but your body sends subtle warning signs you shouldn’t ignore.