Can Dehydration Cause High Cholesterol? – The Only Thing You Need To Know!
It’s true that dehydration can cause high cholesterol. The risk is highest for people who are already at risk for high cholesterol, such as those with diabetes or obesity.
Contents
- 1 What Are The Factors Leading To High Cholesterol?
- 2 What Causes Dehydration?
- 3 Signs And Symptoms Of Dehydration Include:
- 4 What Causes Cholesterol?
- 5 How Do I Prevent Dehydration?
- 6 How Do I Know If My cholesterol Levels Are High?
- 7 What Are The Different Types Of High Cholesterol?
- 8 Is There A Direct Link Between Dehydration And High Cholesterol?
- 9 What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Dehydration?
What Are The Factors Leading To High Cholesterol?
Dehydration causes the body to produce more cholesterol, which raises your levels. This is a normal response to stress.
Cholesterol is produced by your liver and comes from the foods you eat. When you’re dehydrated, your body needs more of this substance to function properly. So it sends signals to your liver to make more cholesterol.
If you’re dehydrated for a long time, it can cause permanent damage that may lead to serious health problems like stroke and heart attack.
What Causes Dehydration?
Dehydration is a condition in which the body has lost more fluid than it takes in. It can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on how much water you lose and for how long.
Dehydration can occur when you don’t drink enough fluids, your body doesn’t balance its water supply or both.
For example, if you sweat excessively during physical activity or because of hot weather and don’t replace the fluids as they’re lost through urination, you become dehydrated.
Dehydration can also occur if you have diarrhea or vomiting and don’t replace lost fluids quickly enough.
Other causes include excessive use of alcohol or coffee; prolonged exposure to high altitudes; diabetes; liver disease; kidney disease; and some medications (such as diuretics).
Signs And Symptoms Of Dehydration Include:
- Dry mouth
- Fatigue
- Muscle cramps
- Headaches
What Causes Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a type of fat that’s used by the body to help your cells work. Cholesterol travels through your bloodstream attached to proteins called lipoproteins.
It’s important to keep the amount of cholesterol in your blood under control because having too much cholesterol can lead to heart disease and stroke.
High levels of LDL cholesterol can cause narrowing of the arteries, also known as atherosclerosis, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in all parts of the body, but it’s especially concentrated in the liver and other organs that produce hormones. It helps to make cell membranes and is used in the production of hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
How Do I Prevent Dehydration?
The amount of water that you need to drink will depend on many factors, including your body size, your physical activity level, and the temperature and humidity where you live.
Most people need to drink about eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. That’s about 2 liters (about a half-gallon) of water for most adults.
How Do I Know If My cholesterol Levels Are High?
Your doctor will order blood tests that measure your LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, and triglycerides when diagnosing high levels of these substances in your blood.
Before getting any blood tests, make sure you tell the doctor about any over-the-counter drugs or dietary supplements that you take regularly so they can adjust their results accordingly.
What Are The Different Types Of High Cholesterol?
There are three different types of high cholesterol:
1. Primary hypercholesterolemia (also known as primary hyperlipidemia) is a genetic disorder in which you have too much LDL, or bad cholesterol, in your blood.
2. Secondary hypercholesterolemia occurs when there’s another medical condition that causes the body to produce more cholesterol than it should. Examples include hypothyroidism (low thyroid), diabetes, kidney disease, and liver disease.
3. Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder that causes people to develop very high levels of LDL early in life before they even become adults.
Is There A Direct Link Between Dehydration And High Cholesterol?
There is no direct link between dehydration and high cholesterol. However, studies have shown that there is an indirect link between the two conditions.
Dehydration can cause an increase in bad cholesterol (LDL) and blood pressure, which may lead to heart disease and other health issues such as stroke or diabetes mellitus type 2.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Dehydration?
The signs of dehydration include dark urine, dry mouth, fatigue or dizziness upon standing up quickly from a sitting position, muscle cramps or weakness, nausea or vomiting, and rapid heartbeat.
Other signs include feeling thirsty all day long and not being able to urinate often enough because your kidneys cannot produce enough urine even if you drink lots of water every day.
