What causes high cholesterol in women? The causes of high cholesterol and how to lower it
Cholesterol affects women differently than men in general – this is why
High triglycerides, another type of blood fat, can also mean you’re at risk of heart disease, liver disease and diabetes.
Having elevated levels of either substance in your blood is a concern for both men and women – but it generally the risk manifests differently in women.
This is an overview of the effects of high cholesterol and triglycerides in women, the causes, and what you can do to lower your levels.
Why is high cholesterol and triglycerides bad?
Not all cholesterol is bad. HDL cholesterol, is considered the ‘good’ one, as it might help the body get rid of the harmful type.
Non-HDL cholesterol, on the other hand, is the ‘bad’ one. People may be familiar with LDL cholesterol commonly referred to as bad, but the British Heart Foundation says there are also other types apart from LDL detrimental to health.
Non-HDL particles tend to stick on the lining of your arteries, where they start to harden and make vessels narrower and stiffer. This is called atherosclerosis. As a result, the heart struggles to send enough blood to vital organs, resulting in high blood pressure. If a chunk of the hardened fat breaks off, it can cause a heart attack or a stroke.
High triglycerides can also contribute to the narrowing of the artery walls and are linked to conditions such as cardiovascular disease.
You can test your triglycerides at the same time when you have a cholesterol test.
People with high triglyceride levels often have a low HDL level as well, but it’s not always the case.
Causes of high cholesterol and triglycerides
The NHS says high cholesterol is mainly caused by eating fatty food, not exercising enough, being overweight, smoking and drinking alcohol.
It can also be inherited ad start at a young age – Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH), a form of high cholesterol you are born with.
The risk increases as you get older, and is varies with your sex and ethnic background, Johns Hopkins Medicine says. Having kidney or liver disease, or an underactive thyroid gland are risk factors, too.
Extra calories in your diet are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells. The body can then use them for energy. However, excess triglycerides are a problem.
Contributing factors to high triglycerides are:
- Drinking a lot of alcohol
- Eating sugary and starchy foods, saturated fats and trans fats
- Health conditions such as diabetes, an underactive thyroid, obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome or kidney disease
Why cholesterol and triglycerides affect women differently
Women of childbearing age may have favourable cholesterol values. The female sex hormone oestrogen seems to boost HDL cholesterol, so women generally have higher levels of the good cholesterol than men.
However, after menopause, many women may see their total and LDL cholesterol rise and HDL cholesterol fall, explains Johns Hopkins Medicine. But this largely depends on genetics and lifestyle factors, too.
Women are also advised to pay particular attention to triglycerides, as a high level of this blood fat seems to predict an even greater risk for heart disease in women compared with men.
How to lower cholesterol and triglycerides
While in some cases you may need medication to keep your levels in check, changing your diet and lifestyle is important.
The NHS says that to lower your cholesterol:
- Eat less fatty food, especially saturated fats.
- Exercise more
- Stop smoking
- Cut down on alcohol
And for triglycerides, the advice from Heart UK is pretty similar:
- Regular exercise and losing weight
- Cut down on saturated fats and replace these with unsaturated fats such as oily fish.
- Cut down on added sugars in food and drinks
- Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all.
Read More: https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/health/high-cholesterol-women-what-causes-22768997
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