Reducing blood cholesterol
There are two different ways in the cholesterol in the blood can be reduced to lower the risk of coronary heart disease. It is really important to not have too much cholesterol in the body as it causes fat to build up, blocking arteries and veins and also increasing the possibility of getting a heart disease. There are two different types of cholesterol- HDL (high- density lipoproteins), which are actually good as they reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood; and LDL (low- density lipoproteins), which are mainly fat and also the kind of cholesterol that causes heart diseases (WebMD, 2008).
One of the ways to reduce the level of LDL is taking statins. Statins are drugs which provide the body with the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. This main function of this enzyme is to prevent the liver from producing too much cholesterol by replacing the present HMG-CoA (M.A., 2013) .
Most statins that are used have implications. They reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases which is a good social implication as less people are likely to die and can live a healthier life. Also, they have an economical advantage because the higher the number of patients who need to take statins, the higher the income for the whole country as those people need to pay for the medication and the doctor’s treatment.
For many people, taking statins is the only solution to their problem of having a thigh level of blood cholesterol which is too high. The only benefit of taking statins is helping the patient reducing the risk of any heart diseases and strokes.
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However, the drugs have many disadvantages. To many people, statins cause pain in the muscles like soreness. If high doses are taken, statins can even be life threatening as they can cause Rhabdomyolysis (liver damage, kidney failure).
The medications also cause digestive problems e.g. diarrhoea. Statins even can increase the risk of getting type 2 diabetes as they can increase the blood sugar (Mayo Clinic Author, 2013).
Another way of reducing the amount of cholesterol in the body is simply changing the diet. Many people have a lot of cholesterol in their blood from eating too much saturated fat. Those saturated fats as in butter or cake are more likely to raise the level of LDL. The fat fount in animal meat and dairy products should also be avoided. By eating unsaturated fats like nuts and reducing the whole intake of fats in the diet, the level of blood cholesterol is lowered and so is the risk of getting heart disease. But not just the amount of fat intake should be changed, but also the intake of fibre. Soluble fibre which is present in many foods like in fruit and vegetables can also be used to decrease cholesterol as it can be digested, unlike insoluble fibre (NHS, 2013).
People changing their diet don’t just affect themselves. The social impact of a diet change can be big. People don’t just live longer without a risk of getting heart diseases, but they also lose weight. This weight loss may be really impressive to others, leading to them trying to lose some weight. This again makes the population healthier, leading to fewer medications needed, people dying at an older age and also giving birth to healthier babies. However, those implications also affect the economy. People could not get jobs as fewer doctors are needed. When less medication is bought because people are healthier, the government and the country itself will make less profit. This money could have been used to improve the environment for other people or could be put into schools.
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The benefits of changing the diet to decrease blood cholesterol are healthier people. These people might even lose some weight which makes them feel confident about them. It may be hard to change their eating habits for some people, but it is not as expensive as buying medication. Another advantage of a healthy diet is that there are no side effects as it is natural.
As good as a healthy diet might be, there are some risks. People could be allergic to certain foods like nuts or fruit.
Bibliography:
M.A., P. C. (2013, September 27).
Medical News Today. Retrieved December 2nd, 2013, from What Are Statins? How Statins Work And The Side Effects Of Statins: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8274.php
Mayo Clinic Author. (2013, April 24).
Mayo Clinic. Retrieved December 2nd , 2013, from Statin side effects: Weigh the benefits and risks: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/statin-side-effects/MY00205
NHS. (2013, July 18th).
NHS. Retrieved December 4th, 2013, from Lower Your Cholesterol – Live Well: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Healthyhearts/Pages/Cholesterol.aspx
WebMD. (2008, October 28).
WebMD. Retrieved December 4th, 2013, from Lower Cholesterol: Diet, Exercise, Weight Loss, Medications to lower cholesterol: http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/features/your-lower-cholesterol-toolbox?page=2
