Cholesterol is not the most important factor that initiates atherosclerosis. What is dangerous is an unhealthy lifestyle that can turn cholesterol into a harmful form.
To put it simply, cholesterol is just a kind of fat that circulates in the veins and is necessary for our body. This oil will only harm you if you ignite a spark there. So cholesterol is not responsible for everything. In order to protect against atherosclerosis, we must first be careful not about cholesterol, but also about not causing damage to the inner surface of the artery.
Diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and smoking are the classical causes of atherosclerosis as we know them. So, what is the basis that causes these? The World Health Organization considers the factors that damage the lining of the arteries by causing diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol as the causes. So what causes diabetes, high blood pressure and overweight? We need to look at it
In cardiovascular diseases, it comes down to our lifestyle
Cholesterol is an indicator here. We do not see cholesterol as completely innocent in this regard, but it should not be held responsible for everything on its own. If we consider cholesterol alone as the cause, we will be providing very incomplete treatment.
I should point out that there are individual differences in who cholesterol is important to. While cholesterol is important in some patients, it is not important in others. Because there are patient groups where cholesterol is the main factor and where it is not.
For example, there are familial high cholesterol levels. The only characteristic of these families is that, due to high cholesterol, the father, siblings and first-degree relatives have heart attacks at a young age in their twenties and thirties. If precautions are not taken, most of them die of heart attacks before they reach their 40s. When you examine these families, you can easily see this because the most striking finding is very high cholesterol (values between 400 and 500). This shows that cholesterol is not completely innocent.
Cholesterol level is an average indicator of our genetics and lifestyle.
An observation made on this subject shows us how important lifestyle is. One of the people with the lowest cholesterol levels in the world is the Masai tribe living in Kenya. These are collectors It is a tribe. They only have one type of wild cattle for livestock farming. They obtain most of their animal fat and protein from these animals. Their cattle's milk is much more fatty than ours. Although they consume large amounts of this milk, the total cholesterol levels of these people when measured in their natural environment are around 120-130 mg/dl.
Some of the Maasai people live in the capital of Kenya. What happens when you move to Nairobi and live a more modern life?
That's when cholesterol levels were observed to increase. Because movement decreases and it becomes easier for them to find food. It was found that cholesterol levels increased in those who went a little further and moved from Kenya to Europe or America. This shows us how important lifestyle is as much as genetics.
Aside from that, although the Japanese eat plenty of fish, their heart attack rate is not that low. Heart attack rates are increasing among Japanese people who immigrate from Japan to America. Even when those who immigrated to America and continued Japanese traditions are compared with the Japanese who accepted the American way of life, a difference emerges. It is observed that those who adopted the American way of life experience more crises.
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