Cholesterol, blood pressure and heart drugs

The liver plays an important role in the production of cholesterol in all animals, including humans. Even vegetarians in the strictest sense get about 800-1,500 milligrams of cholesterol a day, just produced by their liver processing saturated fats and sugars. If the liver did not produce some cholesterol, even low cholesterol levels, strict vegetarians can not survive.

Culture/ genes play a huge role in how much dietary cholesterol will translate into blood cholesterol. Some cultures and people can consumer high fat and high cholesterol diets without raising their blood cholesterol. This is because their liver production of cholesterol is able to balance out the consumption of high cholesterol foods.

It is when blood cholesterol is in excess of what the body needs to perform its job with the cells and hormones that one should be concerned about having lower cholesterol. Lower cholesterol levels can be achieved by a good diet based on whole grains and vegetables with limited animal proteins.

Cholesterol and triglycerides are two forms of lipid or fat. Both cholesterol and triglycerides are necessary for life itself. Cholesterol is necessary, among other things, for building cell membranes and for making several essential hormones. Triglycerides, which are chains of high-energy fatty acids, provide much of the energy needed for cells to function.

One of the main jobs of the liver is to make sure all the tissues of the body receive the cholesterol and triglycerides they need to function. However, excell cholesterol can cause liver damage.

Drugs and their side effects can also cause liver damage as follows. The major effect of the statins is to lower LDL-cholesterol levels, and they lower LDL-cholesterol more than other types of drugs. Statins inhibit an enzyme, HMG- CoA reductase, that controls the rate of cholesterol production in the body. A few patients will experience an upset stomach, gas, constipation, and abdominal pain or cramps. The symptoms are muscle soreness, pain, and weakness.

Niacin is a B-complex vitamin. It's found in food, but is also available at high doses by prescription. It lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL cholesterol. The main side effects are flushing, itching, tingling and headache

Bile Acid Sequestrants drugs work inside the intestine, where they bind to bile and prevent it from being reabsorbed into the circulatory system. The most common side effects are constipation, gas, and upset stomach.

Fibrates lower triglyceride levels and can increase HDL and lower LDL cholesterol. The mechanism of action is not clear but it is thought that fibrates enhance the breakdown of triglyceride-rich particles and decrease the secretion of certain lipoproteins