Thickening and hardening of the arteries

SHARED FROM:

Star Special Friday 30 August 2013

Understanding The Role Of Cholesterol

By Dr Amir Farid Isahak

 

The incidence of heart disease in most countries is rising.  The main form of heart disease is the narrowing of the coronary arteries due to atherosclerosis.  Coronary arteries are the arteries that nourish the thick heart muscles that have to work continuously throughout life.  Atherosclerosis is the thickening and hardening of the arteries by fat laden plagues.

Atherosclerosis can occur in all the arteries in the body:

Where	Causes
In coronary arteries	Angina and heart attacks
In carotid and brain arteries	Stroke
In leg arteries	Cold feet and claudication (pain due to peripheral arterial disease)
In penis arteries	Erectile dysfunction
In other organs	Reduction in function and gradual shrinkage

The development of heart disease is multi-factorial with some playing bigger roles.  Having one or more risk factors does not mean you have the disease.  There are many tests available to assess heart function.  These include ECG, ultrasound, stress test, CT scan and coronary angiogram.

Much attention has been focused on cholesterol and triglyceries as there has been found to be a correlation between them and heart disease.  Cholesterol is a very important nutrient that is required by our cells, especially to be used as a component of the cell membrane, and also as the raw materials to manufacture many hormones including the steroid hormones and the sex hormones.  The liver and many hormones keep the cholesterol level within a healthy range.

A healthy plant based diet with less meat, exercise and reducing weight have been known to help normalize cholesterol levels.