Emphasizing the importance of keeping cholesterol, a necessary element for the body, at certain levels, Dr. Faculty Member Özcan Sönmez from Istanbul Atlas University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, said that it is possible to keep cholesterol levels at ideal values with adjustments in nutrition and lifestyle. Sönmez warned, “When cholesterol levels rise above certain levels, it is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading cause of death.”
Prof. Dr. Faculty Member Özcan Sönmez mentioned the harms of high cholesterol and made suggestions on how to keep cholesterol at ideal levels.
Stating that cholesterol is a very important lipid for our body, Dr. Faculty Member Özcan Sönmez said, “Cholesterol is used as a building block in the tissue of cells, in the production of bile acids, in the production of steroid-derived hormones.”
Attention to high cholesterol
Noting that high cholesterol can cause significant health problems, Sönmez said, “The main cause of death in developed and developing countries is atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. High cholesterol, the disorder we call dyslipidemia, is the most important risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and this is a preventable factor.”
Cardiovascular disease risk can be determined
Stating that cholesterol values play an important role in determining the risk of cardiovascular diseases, Sönmez said, “There are types of serum lipids in the blood and we measure them to determine the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Lipids measured in serum can be listed as Total-C (mg/dL), LDL-C (mg/dL), HDL-C (mg/dL), Triglycerides and Apo-B (mg/dL).”
They cause high cholesterol
Referring to the factors that cause high cholesterol, Prof. Dr. Sönmez said, “Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, wrong eating habits, obesity, chronic renal failure, pregnancy, presence of type 2 diabetes, diseases such as hypothyroidism; physiological conditions such as pregnancy, drugs such as steroids, oral contraceptives, diuretics, beta-blockers, some epilepsy drugs cause high cholesterol.”
Mediterranean type diet is recommended
Stating that nutrition and lifestyle are important determinants as well as drug treatment in the fight against high cholesterol, Sönmez said, “Nutrition is very decisive in keeping cholesterol levels at ideal values. Carbohydrate, protein and lipids should be taken in a certain proportion in the daily diet. The amount of protein in the diet should be replaced to meet 15-20 percent of the total energy. Nutrition models may vary according to societies. Mediterranean type nutrition comes to the forefront. In nutrition guidelines, nutrition with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, high solubility fiber foods, reducing the total daily calorie intake and avoiding processed foods such as salted, smoked, smoked meat, fish, chicken, salami sausage sausage help to improve lipid metabolism.”
Smoking and alcohol should be avoided and weight control should be ensured
Prof. Dr. Özcan Sönmez underlined that quitting alcohol and smoking, increasing physical activity and ensuring weight control are also important in improving lipid metabolism.
High cholesterol can be treated
Stating that high cholesterol is treated with medication, Prof. Dr. Sönmez said, “Statin group drugs, bile acid sequestrants, PCSK9 inhibitors are used in drug treatment. In addition to cholesterol absorption from the intestine, advanced treatment methods such as plasmapheresis are utilized in the treatment.”
Beware of misinformation!
Stating that misinformation about cholesterol comes to the agenda from time to time, Dr. Faculty Member Özcan Sönmez concluded his words as follows:
“Although cholesterol is a necessary element for the body, it is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, which is one of the leading causes of death when it exceeds certain levels. Since it is a very popular subject, unfortunately, it is seen that the society is misinformed from time to time by populism. Doctors' warnings must be taken into consideration. Risky behaviors such as leaving cholesterol medications without the doctor's knowledge should be avoided.”
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