The cholesterol is a substance natural fat that is found in all cells of the human body. Thus, it is an essential nutritional element for the correct functioning of the organism and when its levels are inadequate it can have negative consequences for health .
Most of the cholesterol is produced in the liver, although it is also obtained thanks to the consumption of certain foods. In this sense, many people control the intake of certain foods to avoid a rise in cholesterol.
Thus, the presence of excessively high cholesterol levels is called hypercholesterolemia, being the main reason for this phenomenon a diet rich in saturated fat. However, it may be the case of a healthy diet and an increase in this substance occurs in the body.
Reasons why cholesterol may increase
Actually, secondary hypercholesterolemia is one that is produced by other types of situations other than the intake of a diet rich in saturated fat. And in this sense there are several causes that can cause these imbalances in the body:
- Kilos too many: When a person is overweight or obese, they tend to accumulate fat in the body in the form of adipose tissue, which can be transformed into triglycerides. Thus, an excess of these lipids is directly related to a reduction in HDL (good) cholesterol.
- Bad diabetes controlled: On the other hand, the liver can use glucose to make triglycerides. The more glucose in the blood, the greater the risk of this phenomenon occurring.
- Smoking or drinking alcohol : Tobacco is a harmful element for health that can reduce the concentration of good cholesterol in the body. Likewise, drinking alcohol can also cause an increase in ‘bad’ cholesterol.
On the other hand, there are certain Medicines that can cause an increase in triglycerides in the blood, accompanied or not by an excess of cholesterol. These drugs include steroids in general, such as cortisone or estrogens.
Problems in an organ
Sometimes , it may be the situation that a person has perfectly followed all the advice and recommendations on diet and lifestyle necessary to lower high cholesterol levels. However, the result was not as expected.
When this situation occurs, it is convenient to inquire to determine the causes of this fact, since sometimes it may be due to failure in a specific organ.
For example, some liver disorders such as cholestasis prevent the proper flow of bile. Thus, by being retained, the body does not use cholesterol to make more bile salts and causes an increase in its blood values. All this despite a healthy diet or lifestyle.
In addition, an increase in cholesterol levels can also occur due to hypothyroidism, which is a disorder in which the Thyroid hormones in the blood function slower than normal. Different studies have determined that the metabolic process can be altered and lead to an increase in blood cholesterol.
Finally, another problem in an organ can be marked by inadequate renal filtration. That is, a disorder in which more protein is lost than it should be through the urine. Thus, to compensate for this filtration, the body produces lipoproteins, both low and high intensity, which can alter cholesterol levels.
Therefore, although a healthy diet is the best measure for reduce cholesterol levels, there are different factors that could also influence abnormal levels of this substance in the body.