Can Smoking Affect Your Cholesterol? Things You Need To Know!

Smoking is a bad habit. It is also one of the causes of several health issues including cardiovascular diseases. In this article, we will look into the relationship between smoking and cholesterol and how it affects your heart health.

Smoking And Cholesterol: How It Affects Your Health?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is produced by your liver. It’s used to make hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids and helps build cell membranes. Your body uses cholesterol for many other functions as well.

Cholesterol levels in your blood are measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). The normal range for total cholesterol is between 100 mg/dL and 199 mg/dL.

VLDL Cholesterol

VLDL cholesterol is a type of cholesterol. It’s the primary form of lipoprotein in your blood, which means it carries other substances in your bloodstream. VLDL stands for very low-density lipoprotein, and it’s the second major form of lipoprotein in your blood after LDL (low-density lipoprotein).

VLDL is also known as IDL (intermediate density), although they are technically different types. The main difference between VLDL and IDL is that IDL contains more triglycerides than VLDL does—which means that IDL has more fat than other types of cholesterol.

Can Smoking Increase Levels of LDL cholesterol?

Smoking can increase the levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood. Smoking also increases triglyceride levels, which is another type of fat found in your blood. Both LDL and triglycerides are types of lipids that can increase your risk for heart disease.

Smoking also appears to have a positive effect on HDL cholesterol levels, which is considered good because it helps to reduce inflammation in the arteries and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, this effect may be offset by increased total cholesterol levels due to smoking

Why Does Smoking Increase Total And LDL Cholesterol Levels In The Blood?

Smoking can cause damage to the lining of your arteries. This makes it harder for blood to flow through and increases the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in your blood, which contributes to plaque buildup in your arteries. Plaque buildup narrows the walls of your arteries, making them stiffer, narrower, and less flexible so less blood can pass through them at once.

High levels of LDL cholesterol in your body can increase this risk even more by building up more plaque on top of already damaged arteries.

Why Does Smoking Increase Triglyceride Levels?

When you smoke, you’re increasing your triglyceride levels by three different mechanisms. First, there’s an increase in the concentration of triglycerides in your blood. Second, there’s a decrease in the breakdown of triglycerides in the liver. And third, smoking also reduces HDL cholesterol levels (the good kind).

Smoking affects how many calories are burned during exercise. Studies show that smokers who are not physically active burn fewer calories per day than non-smokers who are equally inactive. Smoking also makes it harder for your body to use energy efficiently and effectively – so it may seem like you’re burning more calories when you’re actually not!

What Is Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is caused by a mutation in the LDL-receptor gene. The body needs this receptor to remove cholesterol from the blood. As a result, people with FH have high levels of LDL cholesterol and often develop heart disease at an early age.

Final Words

Hopefully, this article has helped you understand the relationship between smoking and cholesterol. In short, smoking is bad for your cholesterol because it increases LDL levels while decreasing HDL levels.

As a result, smokers are at increased risk of developing heart disease—and although quitting can help with this, the damage may already be done if you’ve been smoking for an extended period of time. 

However, there is good news: not only does quitting have positive benefits for your cholesterol levels in general (elevating HDL and lowering LDL), but it can also improve other factors that affect heart health such as blood pressure and inflammation.