Can thin people have high cholesterol?

Most people associate high cholesterol with those who are obese. These people will be surprised at the fact that even thin people are equally likely to suffer from high cholesterol. People who suffer from high cholesterol have high fat level in the blood. High cholesterol does not impact the fat under the human skin.

People who are obese have high cholesterol because the fat metabolism in their body changes due to changes in insulin resistance. However, this does not mean that people who are thin cannot have high cholesterol.

Symptoms

People who suffer from high cholesterol don’t exhibit any symptoms. However, high cholesterol is known to aggravate the symptoms of other problems in the body. For instance, if a person who has high cholesterol also suffers from hypertension, they can experience pain in the back and the neck.

If you believe that you are suffering from high cholesterol levels, you must visit your healthcare provider at the earliest. Your doctor could check if there are fat deposits on your eyelids. These fat deposits contain high levels of fatty acids called triglycerides and they exist on eyelids of people who have high cholesterol levels.

People who are aged over 45 years must get their cholesterol checked once every six months. If you or anyone in your family suffers from this problem, you must get your cholesterol checked once a year since the age of 30 years.

People who have a cholesterol level of more than 240 mg/dl in their blood are said to suffer from high cholesterol level. If high cholesterol level is detected at an early age, several complications that are caused due to high cholesterol levels can be avoided.

Reasons why thin people suffer from High Cholesterol

Since both obese and thin people can suffer from high cholesterol levels, it is important understand why thin people suffer from high cholesterol, Here are some important reasons:

Inactive Lifestyle

One of the main reasons why thin people have high cholesterol is because they don’t do regular exercise. This increases the levels of saturated fatty acids, which increases their cholesterol level. Also, most people use the latest gadgets to complete their day-to-day activity which reduces their activity level. They also watch television or use their computer when they are free, which reduce their physical activity and increases cholesterol.

Poor Eating Habits

Eating foods that contain saturated fatty acids on regular basis can increase the cholesterol levels. Some of the foods that are rich in bad cholesterol are egg yolk, pork, shrimp, margarine, and liver. Most thin people eat less food but they still suffer from high cholesterol because they don’t eat nutritious food.

Alcohol

Drinking excessive alcohol can increase the cholesterol levels in the body. However, moderate drinking of alcohol helps in increasing the levels of good cholesterol. When you drink too much alcohol, it cannot be metabolized by the body which increases the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL).

Stress

Hectic lifestyle has increased the stress levels, which is one of the major causes of high cholesterol. Studies have shown that increased stress levels can result in accumulation of glucose and fatty acids which increases cholesterol.

Genes

Your genes are also responsible for increasing the cholesterol levels in your body. Cholesterol is manufactured by liver which can be done from any food you eat. Your genes affect the functioning of liver in this regard.

Category: Health Problems, High Cholesterol