High Cholesterol in Younger People – Causes, Symptoms, And Treatments!
In today’s world, High Cholesterol in Younger People has become a major issue. Usually, the normal cholesterol level for young people is less than 170mg. But it’s unfortunate nowadays to find many young people to have a cholesterol level that is even above 200 mg.
Contents
High Cholesterol in Younger People – Detailed Study!
Having a high cholesterol level at a younger age is very risky because it can make you susceptible to other severe health conditions like heart disease as you grow up.
It is because if you have this condition, it might stick with you. It will lead to damage to your low-density lipoprotein. So if you are a young person and you have this condition, you are likely to have heart disease in the future.
Causes of High Cholesterol in Younger People
These are many things that might contribute to the rise of high cholesterol in young people. In the past, doctors did not worry much about this issue in young people because it was rare to find it in them. But recently, it has been shown that many young people have this condition.
Below are some possible causes of high cholesterol levels in young people;
Genetics
It is a major cause of high cholesterol in young people. This condition can be inherited from the parents. If it is a genetic problem to the family, it will be passed to the young once through the genes. Once passed to the young once then it leads to severe conditions. Even if the children stay on healthy lifestyles like a healthy diet and exercise plan, Still this might be a problem for the children.
This condition is mainly referred to as familial hypercholesterolemia, which means you have too much cholesterol in your blood which can, in turn, clog your blood vessels. This condition can run in the family, and the parent passes it to their children through the genes.
Unhealthy diet
It is another thing that can contribute a lot to high cholesterol in young people. If young people are exposed to an unhealthy diet, they may end up having this condition. The food that can lead to this condition in young people includes a high-fat diet, fast food, junk food, and many others.
Remember that overeating Trans or saturated fats can lead to harmful levels of cholesterols in your body.
Obesity
Obesity is a condition where you are overweight. And this can increase the likelihood of having high cholesterol levels. When you are an obese person, your level of cholesterol will rise because the way your body manages lipoproteins and other fatty substances changes.
When you are obese, you will have an increased fat tissue and be insulin resistant, leading to a high amount of fatty acids in your liver. Also, you will have increased inflammation in your body. These conditions will change how your body manages cholesterol, lipoprotein and it, in turn, lead to a high level of cholesterol in your body.
Lack of healthy exercise plan
Having an unhealthy exercise plan can lead to high cholesterol levels at a young age. Having an exercise plan helps you so much by burning excess calories and fats in your body.
Exercising plays a more significant role in lowering the level of cholesterol. It would be best if you did these exercise activities while you observed your healthy food plan. Remember, the exercise has to be done regularly, and it will help you control your body metabolism.
Symptoms
High cholesterol is a silent condition. It usually does not cause any symptoms on the person having it. It is mainly recognized when people have developed other severe conditions like stroke, heart disease, and many other severe diseases.
It is a great idea to have a routine for cholesterol screening, even if you are young.
A blood test is the recommended way to know if you have a high cholesterol level or not. If the total cholesterol level in your blood is above 240 milligrams per deciliter, then you might be suffering from this condition.
Your doctor can assist you in regularly checking if your family has a history of high cholesterol problems. When you have these conditions, it may lead to some deposits in your blood arteries. It will then narrow the passage of your blood arteries and reduce the passage of blood in your arteries. Then this condition will change the arterial lining, and it will, in turn, lead to other serious complications.
Finally, suppose you have a history of high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other serious health issues. In that case, you may opt for a test because it may result from high cholesterol in your body.
Diagnosis
When it comes to the diagnosis of high cholesterol it is very easy. High cholesterol can be tested through a blood test. Here some of your blood samples are taken to the laboratory for analysis if you have this condition or not. You will be required not to eat or drink anything at least 12 hours before the test is done.
This test is usually called a lipid panel, which checks the total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol in your blood.
The desirable result from these tests should be at least as follows:
- LDL cholesterol should be less than 100 milliliters per deciliter
- HDL cholesterol should be 60 milliliters per deciliter or higher
- triglycerides should be less than 150 milliliters per deciliter
Suppose your total cholesterol level is between 200 to 239 milliliter per deciliter. If it is above 240 milliliters per deciliter, then you are considered to have too high cholesterol in your body.
The LDL cholesterol is considered normal if it is between 120 to 159 milliliter per deciliter. Above these levels, then you have a high level of LDL cholesterol.
The HDL cholesterol is considered to be poor if it is below 40 milliliters per deciliter.
Treatment
There are many treatment options that you can use in children who have high cholesterol levels.
Healthy balanced diet
A healthy diet is one option that you can use to fight high cholesterol levels in young people. You have to make sure you reduce the number of saturated fats you take. You have to stay away from high-fat and junk foods. Here you have to work closely with your nutritionist to get the best diet to fight this condition. With the doctor’s help, you will start the low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet.
Exercising plan
When you involve yourself in physical activities, then your heart will beat fast, and some of the excess fats and calories in your body burst out. Some of the health activities you can indulge in are walking, swimming, biking, sporting, and many others.
Remember to have a regular physical exercise plan, and you have to stick to it, and you will get a tremendous result.
Medication
Also, this is another way to treat the high cholesterol condition. The medication will be able to lower the level of cholesterol in young people. It should be the option to be considered if the LDL cholesterol has started blocking the arteries. If you have this condition at a young age, you also have other complications like diabetes, stroke, and many others.
It is also the option to be considered if the first two cannot work for you. Suppose the cause of the high cholesterol is due to genetic issues from your family. You may also consider going for medication.
It is recommended to use the first two, and if they are not working, you can seek medical attention to treat the condition.
Final Take
Here we giving a detailed article about High Cholesterol in Younger People. Cholesterol is one of the components of your blood content. There is bad and good cholesterol. Your body can make the cholesterol it needs. However, you can get cholesterol from the food you consume. Here, your age, diet, activity level and genetics, and other factors can lead to high cholesterol in your body.
Remember, high cholesterol itself is not a disease. Still, it’s a condition that may lead to other severe health conditions like high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, heart diseases, and many others.
If you have high cholesterol at a young age, do not panic. You can manage it through medication and a healthy lifestyle. Not having that healthy lifestyle can help you to prevent yourself from having this condition. At the same time, if you have the disease, you can reduce its level through a healthy lifestyle.
