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Cholesterol levels in our body can promote or demote our health. While the prevalence of good cholesterol can boost one’s health, the same can’t necessarily be said about the bad ones. So, what even are the effects of high cholesterol in the body?
Having high cholesterol can impose a plethora of side effects that many people are not even aware of. It goes without saying that not all fats are good for you and the levels of high cholesterol are just here to clarify that for you.
By the end of this article, you will have a fair idea about everything there is to know about high cholesterol side effects on the body.
What Does Cholesterol Do For The Body?
Before we go on to discuss about the side effects of high cholesterol on the body, it is important we do have a fair share of knowledge about cholesterol and everything there is to know about its significance.
Cholesterol is beneficial for the body, as hard as it might seem for you to digest. It goes without saying that not all variants of cholesterol are good but the body does need some amount for performing a number of functions.
Some of the reasons why cholesterol is needed by the body include:
- It is necessary for building the cell membrane
- It is the basic unit in some of the major hormones in our body
- It is important for some of the fat soluble vitamins
And these are just the basic ones that you possibly need to know of. But, everything that occurs without a stability and stoppage has the potency of imposing any kind of negative impacts on the body. The same is the case with cholesterol as well. Let us delve into some of the side effects, shall we?
Side Effects of High Cholesterol
The levels of high cholesterol in the body can have a plethora of impacts on the body, predominantly affecting the heart.
If you have been unaware of the possible side effects, we are going to be listing out some of them for you to take a look into.
1. Atherosclerosis
The blood in our body flows through an enclosed vascular system. Any kind of alterations to this system has the potency to impact the overall functioning of the blood flow.
Atherosclerosis is a condition which is characterized by the accumulation of the excess cholesterol in the body inside the blood vessels, especially the arteries.
This plaque buildup does have the potency cause abrupt changes in the blood flow and obstruct the path as well. This is often one of the primary reasons behind the increase in blood pressure which can even result in a heart attack if suitable precautions aren’t taken.
2. Brain Blockage
Much like how the process is with the heart, the same can be a possible factor when it comes to the brain as well.
Given the fact that the vascular system in our body does supply the brain as well, chances are that any kind of plaque buildup in any of the arteries supplying blood to the brain has the potency to end up causing disruption to the brain functions and can even induce brain damage.
3. Impairs Memory Consolidation
We consolidate everything we see throughout the day in our memories at night while we are asleep.
If you are wondering how this confers under the effects of high cholesterol, you are going to be shocked.
As mentioned before, high levels of cholesterol does have the potency to induce heart diseases as well as impacts on the brain function. This is often considered one of the primary reasons behind the impairments in memory consolidation.
Additionally, high cholesterol levels have also been found to have impacts on the development of dementia in people.
4. Hormonal disbalances
Much like every other prospect in our body, our hormone balance is also dependent on the levels of cholesterol in the body.
If you are consistently suffering from conditions associated with hormonal disbalance, chances are that the same is because of the unparalleled levels of hormones in the body.
Hormones like estrogen, testosterone and even cortisol require a healthy level of cholesterol to be formed. Any kind of alterations in those levels can end up impacting the hormonal levels in the body as well.
5. Gallstones
Gallstones are yet another one of the effects of high cholesterol, a negative one for that matter.
Our body does require an optimal amount of cholesterol in the body to be able to ensure the better formation of bile which is crucial for breaking down the food and in the process of digestion.
The excess of cholesterol tends to end up forming crystals when the bile interacts with it, which is what we know as gall stones. Not only is the condition painful, it is often quite impactful on our quality of life.
It is very important to keep an eye out on the levels of cholesterol in the body. The effects of high cholesterol in the body is not for the better which is why it is necessary to keep everything in check and adopt a lifestyle that helps in maintaining the optimal levels in the body.
