The first thing we have to define is what cholesterol is, and it is nothing more than one of the different types of fat that we have in our body and that is very useful for many basic functions, such as for the formation of sex hormones, maintenance of brain neurons, the digestion of one's own fats and many other essential functions.

Furthermore, there are two types of cholesterol, "good" and "bad," and this simply depends on their density (that is, the ratio between weight and volume). HDL ( high- density lipoprotein) is the good cholesterol, and therefore, the higher the level, the greater the cardiovascular protection. To raise this type of cholesterol, a healthy diet (based on the consumption of oily fish, nuts, and olive oil) is important, in addition to physical exercise. LDL ( low- density lipoprotein) is the bad cholesterol, and we need to lower it when it's at high levels, as it's associated with fatal events (myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart attacks in the lower limbs) because it accumulates in the different arteries or blood vessels of the body. For this, diet is also essential (avoiding saturated fats, which are very present in those of animal and vegetable origin) and maintaining a healthy weight. However, when diet and exercise alone are not enough to achieve sufficient weight loss, medication must be started to control it.

Not everyone has to achieve the same "bad" or LDL cholesterol numbers, but depending on the risk profile of each patient (if they have had previous heart attacks or if they have other cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes or hypertension) we set ourselves some objectives or others. Thus, it is essential to highlight that when you have had a heart attack, we need to have it "the lower the better", since there are very few side effects of having it low and the consequences of having it high can be fatal (the risk of new cardiovascular events greatly increases). ).

Therefore, cholesterol is like all other cardiovascular risk factors (high blood pressure, diabetes or sugar, smoking), that is, silent enemies that do not cause any symptoms or discomfort until the patient has an event that can be very serious. and therefore we must attack them as soon as possible and take the dietary and treatment recommendations of health professionals very seriously.

Dr. Irene Narvaez Mayorga

Cardiac Imaging