 To much cholesterol in your blood can kill.If your blood has too much cholesterol in it, fatty deposits known as plaques build up in the walls of your arteries, narrowing them and limiting the flow of blood. This also makes your arteries less able to cope with the pumping action of blood by making them stiffer and less flexible. If blood flow is impeded, less blood reaches your heart and sometimes the flow is blocked completely. Since blood carries oxygen to your heart, a reduction in supply can cause chest pain, (angina) and if the blood flow is stopped completely, a heart attack will occur. If blood flow to the brain is stopped, a stroke is caused.Each of these events is potentially fatal.
There is also a risk of peripheral vascular disease, which is when blood flow is restricted to the limbs, particularly the legs. It may result in leg pain, ulcers, infections and eventually gangrene, which may lead to amputation or death.Do you know you cholesterol level?The problem with high cholesterol levels is that you might not have any symptoms and so be unaware that you have a high level of cholesterol. You need to find out your cholesterol level in order to understand your risk and take action if necessary. Lowering cholesterol levels lessens the risk of developing heart disease, and can lessen the risk of dying from it even if you already have heart problems. Whatever your age, it is worth finding out about your cholesterol level as action you can take has been proven to help.
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