Effect of Cholesterol to the Heart Causing Cardiovascular Disease

Alyssa Charisse I. Capuchino

3Bio3
Nowadays, people try to maintain living a healthy lifestyle by checking the contents of
the food they eat and by performing daily exercise. But, despite this, many still fail to take care
of their health and it is evident from the number of diseases which eventually leads to death that
occurs every year because of improper nutrition or improper knowledge of what really happens
in ones body once he eats something. According to the Department of Health in the Philippines,
100,908 out of 100,000 populations died in 2009 because of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or
heart disease and this signifies a great rate of mortality making it the number one cause of deaths
in the Philippines. While, approximately 17 million deaths every year is mainly caused by CVD
worldwide (Soerensen, Thorning, Astrup, Kristensen & Lorensen, 2014). Many reasons could be
attributed to the cause of CVD but one leading agent of this is cholesterol that most are taking or
eating on a regular basis, but little do they know that excessive intake of this would lead to heart
disease and could even cause their early death.
Cholesterol is mentioned as the leading
cause of CVD and it is the main animal sterol.
Sterols are polycyclic compounds and groups
of lipids derived from steroids and alcohols
that usually consist of 27-30 carbon atoms with
a hydroxyl group. Being a sterol, cholesterol is
characterized as waxy and fat-like and its
skeleton is made up of 27 carbon atoms and
one hydroxyl group having a chemical formula
of C27H46O. It is an organic compound that
plays an important role in the cell membrane
http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/cholesterol_primer_T3.html
and a precursor for steroid hormones and bile
acids. Dominiczak and Wallace (2009)
Figure 1. Chemical structure of cholesterol
mentioned that humans synthesize 1 g cholesterol
each day, mainly in the liver. And the synthesis of cholesterol regulates the amount of it in our
body depending on the number of intake of cholesterol by a person to balance it out.
All of the human cells can actually synthesize cholesterol, but liver is its main production
site. The generation of the many carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds contained in
cholesterol structure requires a source of carbon atoms, a source of reducing power and
significant amount of energy (Dominiczak & Wallace, 2009). A precursor for the synthesis of
cholesterol is known to be 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) while HMG-CoA
reductase is the rate limiting enzyme in the pathway. The process involves the formation of the
different molecules through decarboxylation and condensation with the aid of the appropriate
enzymes. The last stage of cholesterol biosynthesis is the conversion of a 30-carbon molecule
into 27 carbon facilitated by decarboxylation, isomerization and reduction. Since lipids are not
soluble in water, they are transported in the plasma of the blood together with the proteins or
bounded to proteins and they are called lipoproteins.

Lipoproteins consist of a non-polar core of triglyceride and cholesteryl esters surrounded

by a surface layer of phospholipids, cholesterol and proteins known as apolipoproteins (Marshall,
Bangert & Lapsley, 2012). These lipoproteins are classified according to their densities
determined with the use of ultracentrifugal separation, namely the chylomicrons (CM, lowest
density), very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), remnant particles that include intermediate
density lipoproteins (IDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL), and high density lipoproteins (HDL).
Despite the fact that they all carry lipids with them, the LDL and HDL are the ones directly
responsible for the lipid cholesterol transport and regulation in the body. The LDL carries the
cholesterol as a cholesteryl ester from the liver to the cells that need it, through binding to the
LDL-receptor on the cell membrane. Afterwards, the LDL-receptor complex is digested and the
cholesterol is released into the cell. On the other hand, the HDL is responsible for the reverse
transport of cholesterol wherein, cholesterol is transported from the cells going to the liver to
serve as precursors for the synthesis of steroids. Normally, the HDL should be greater in number
rather than the LDL because when LDLs concentration is too high, some of them will not be
able to unload their cargo, and instead, they accumulate and form deposits in the arteries which
results to atherosclerosis that could lead to heart attack which would cause ones death.
Atherosclerosis is the hardening or thickening of the arteries caused by the build-up of
fatty substances due to an inflammatory response. The inflammatory response is begun by an
injury in the arterial wall which may be caused by cholesterol deposits or by high blood pressure
or the increased speed of blood flow. The damaged cells begin to pick up LDLs, the so-called
bad form of cholesterol and this accumulation of the LDLs is most likely to occur when the LDL
concentration in the blood is high (Goodenough, 2012). Once the defense cells are activated,
they will release growth factors that stimulate the arterial wall to divide which causes the
thickening of the arteries. Some engulf the LDLs, enlarge, increase in size and soon forms a
plaque which narrows the pathway of blood. When blood fails to travel to the different parts of
the body, the cells start to die and occurrence in the heart may be fatal as mentioned.
High concentration of LDLs is brought about by excessive intake of foods that contains
high saturated fatty acids, high animal fats and cholesterol-rich foods such as egg yolks, bacon
and red meat. A study conducted also considers Palm oil as a source of the unhealthy fat because
of the high saturated fats that can be found in it. These foods should not be eaten daily and in
large servings, otherwise ones health may be in danger when continued or not given proper
medical attention. Lowering a persons cholesterol level could actually save him from
experiencing such undesirable fate as well as living a healthy lifestyle by engaging in exercises
in order to promote healthy arteries and prevent other cardiovascular diseases that may be caused
by the different abnormalities in the blood vessels or the heart.
Now, its clear that intake of cholesterol in large amount in regular basis causes
cardiovascular disease because of its accumulation in the arteries that causes the formation of
blood clots or plaques which limits the blood flow that could starve and kill the cells leading to
heart attack and death which is why having a healthy diet and lifestyle is a must if one desires to
have a longer lifespan.

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10
Foods
Highest
in
Cholesterol.
(n.d.).
Retrieved
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-cholesterol.php

from