What is the Relationship between High Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure?
High cholesterol has become a common health problem and initially, most people are not aware that their cholesterol levels have reached a point where it can create more problems. People get to know about high cholesterol levels by chance when they can get them medically tested for any other health issue. The other common health issue is high blood pressure where the sufferer experiences vertigo.
Vertigo is the main symptom of high blood pressure, which happens due to high cholesterol and both are related to each other as the former happens due to the latter. Vertigo is not the only issue you experience when your blood pressure is high as you will feel a headache or may faint. If we talk about what we call high blood pressure in medical terms, then it is known as Hypertension.
What is Hypercholesterolemia?
This term may be somewhat new to you but it is just the medical name of high cholesterol just like high blood pressure is known as Hypertension in medical terms nothing else. Both high cholesterol and high blood pressure are common as every second person who is above 50 years of age is a patient of any of the two. Let’s now talk about high cholesterol and high blood pressure in detail one by one.
High Cholesterol and Risk of Fatal Diseases that Come Along
High cholesterol or hypercholesterolemia is a condition where there is too much cholesterol in your blood. You may have heard of cholesterol but don’t know what it is exactly and what it looks like. The answer is that it is a fatty substance that your body needs in moderate quantity and the good thing is that it is produced by the body itself. There is no problem until cholesterol in the body is in moderate quantity and the problem happens when the quantity exceeds the required quantity.
Too much cholesterol just leads to plaque build-up in the arteries and puts you at risk of risk of diseases such as stroke and heart attack. These diseases sometimes prove to be fatal for the sufferer as they don’t even get time to reach the hospital.
High Blood Pressure and Problems Associated with it
High blood pressure is a common health problem and occurs when the pressure of the blood in your vessels becomes too high. It needs to be treated in time; otherwise, it can cause serious problems. The problems associated with high cholesterol also include stroke and heart attack, which can prove fatal. Other than stroke and heart attack, you can experience vision loss, as due to high blood pressure blood vessels in your eyes may get damaged sometimes.
This clearly shows that both high cholesterol and high blood pressure come with the risk of life and that’s why you need to do something to avoid the risk.
Relationship between High Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure
As discussed earlier, high cholesterol is one of the reasons behind high blood pressure and thus we can say that there is a connection between the two because one problem happens due to the other. Let’s know how they are linked.
- Cholesterol Build-up
High cholesterol causes cholesterol to build up in arteries and narrow down the passage and makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood, which increases blood pressure.
- Causes Harm to the Artery Walls
High blood pressure damages artery walls thus creating places for cholesterol to build up. It clearly shows that high cholesterol and high blood pressure are connected.
- Increase the Risk of Blood Vessels Damage
When you experience both high cholesterol and high blood pressure at the same time, it increases the risk of damage to blood vessels even sometimes the blood vessels just get damaged.
What Causes High Cholesterol?
There are a lot of things that cause your cholesterol level to rise and when we talk about one thing in particular, it is the food you eat. Maybe you don’t know that there are foods that are high in cholesterol and having those foods in your meals causes your cholesterol levels to rise. This is not the only factor as not exercising also causes high cholesterol because exercising helps you burn extra calories you have.
Moreover, you need to find foods to lower cholesterol and high BP and the internet is the best place to do it. When you search the internet, you will find foods such as vegetables; okra and eggplant, leafy vegetables, and fruits, like grapes, apples, strawberries, and citrus fruits.
Health Risk Factors and Complications That Come Along High Cholesterol
High cholesterol increases the risk of many health problems such as stroke, heart attack, cardiovascular disease (CVD), liver disease, and others. When we talk about the risk factors that are behind your high cholesterol, the same include:
- Lifestyle Factors
By lifestyle factors, we mean food, physical activity, smoking, and drinking habits. We have talked about foods that should be part of your diet; however, there are foods to avoid and those include full-fat dairy products such as cream, milk, and butter, baked goods, fried foods, red meat like beef, pork and lamb and anything that increases your cholesterol.
- Health Conditions
Having some health conditions such as type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, underactive thyroid gland, polycystic ovary syndrome, and liver or kidney disease increases your risk of having high cholesterol. It is recommended to get yourself tested frequently if you suffer from these health conditions.
- Family History
If you have a family history of high cholesterol or cardiovascular disease, then you, too, are at risk of high cholesterol.
These are the health risk factors of cholesterol and you should always look at them when feeling that your cholesterol levels are getting high.
Prevention and Management of Cholesterol
As discussed, high cholesterol and high blood pressure bring with them the risk of many health problems that can turn fatal, which no individual wants. That’s why something needs to be done in time. When it comes to the prevention of high cholesterol and high blood pressure, the first step you have to take is to replace your diet with a healthy diet which should include foods that are known to have low calories.
Eat foods that are high in fiber and unsaturated fats. Ensure your diet contains fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Maintain a healthy weight according to your height but it does not mean to put on weight and become overweight. If you are overweight, try to lose weight, for which you should make exercising part of your routine.
The exercises for a healthy heart include aerobic exercises such as walking, running, swimming, and cycling, strength training that involves free weights, weight machines, and resistance bands, and flexibility exercises such as Yoga and basic stretches. Just in case, all this does not help, try a natural cholesterol-reducer supplement such as Naturachol, which will surely help you reduce your high cholesterol.
In conclusion, high cholesterol and high blood pressure are closely interconnected health concerns that significantly increase the risk of serious and potentially fatal conditions, such as heart attacks, strokes, and blood vessel damage. These issues often stem from unhealthy lifestyle choices, medical conditions, and genetic predisposition. However, they can be effectively managed and prevented through a healthy diet, regular exercise, weight management, and, if necessary, natural supplements. Taking proactive steps to maintain optimal cholesterol and blood pressure levels is essential for overall cardiovascular health and long-term well-being.