The corrosive effects of "bad fats" and vascular crises: Family cases of hyperlipidemia and dietary defenses

What is the relationship between atherosclerosis and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)? Atherosclerosis is typically a disease of the elderly, but a 2002 survey by professionals found that in a certain city, the number of stroke patients under 45 years old increased 13 times compared to 1990. The number of young stroke patients is rising sharply. The number of young diabetics aged 20-35 is also increasing year by year. The number of deaths from diabetes has tripled in the past 20 years. The youngest patient with acute myocardial infarction in a certain city was only 18 years old, and the youngest person to die suddenly from coronary heart disease was only 33 years old. These alarming figures should prompt reflection among middle-aged and young white-collar workers: why are young people getting old despite eating and dressing well? What is the culprit? The culprit is atherosclerosis. The occurrence of atherosclerosis is closely related to the presence of "good" cholesterol in the blood. This is because good cholesterol can clear excess cholesterol from the arteries, preventing atherosclerosis. When arteries are free from atherosclerosis, blood flow remains unobstructed, vital organs receive sufficient blood, effectively preventing diseases such as myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, and diabetes, thus maintaining good health.

Tip: The idea that "good oils" promote health is common medical knowledge and a popular aspiration. With the increasing prevalence of medical knowledge, achieving this goal is not difficult. Young and middle-aged adults should first protect their liver and intestines, as high-density lipoprotein (HDL), a beneficial oil, is produced there. Secondly, they should pay attention to a balanced diet. Thirdly, they should change unhealthy habits. Fourthly, they should have regular checkups. Fifthly, they should seek early treatment for any problems discovered.

Having discussed "good oils," let's talk about "bad oils." What are bad oils?

Bad oils are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in blood plasma. When a person suffers from hyperlipidemia, the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the blood plasma increases. The cholesterol carried by this elevated LDL can deposit on the inner walls of arteries, gradually forming atherosclerotic plaques. This damages the normal structure of the vascular endothelium, narrows blood vessels, reduces blood flow, and causes ischemia and hypoxia in tissues and organs, especially exacerbating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Therefore, LDL is known worldwide as "bad oil." However, LDL is not inherently bad; its deterioration is gradual and influenced by environmental factors. LDL in human blood plasma is converted from very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). Its physiological function is to transport endogenous cholesterol synthesized in the liver to various tissues throughout the body for use. As blood flows through the body, the widely distributed peripheral cellular LDL receptors recognize LDL, engulfing it within tissue cells and releasing cholesterol for the body's use and storage. Therefore, high blood lipids primarily involve elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which only becomes problematic when levels exceed 4.1 mmol/L! (LDL receptors are glycoproteins; in 2% of patients with primary familial hypercholesterolemia, LDL receptors are congenitally absent.)

High and low-density lipoprotein levels are most closely related to the formation of atherosclerosis. Coronary atherosclerotic heart disease is the most common type of organ damage caused by atherosclerosis and a common disease that seriously affects people's health. Clearly, these "bad" lipids are indeed very harmful, and we really need to find ways to suppress them. Once we understand the damage these "bad" lipids cause to the body, we will certainly think that it's better to take preventative measures than to wait until we get sick to treat it.

Proactive prevention is also called pre-disease health care. The focus of pre-disease health care is health education. Through learning, people adopt and establish health-promoting behaviors and improve their self-care awareness. Dr. Kang's clinic once treated a family with four generations of high blood lipids; the suffering of these four generations illustrates the importance of prevention. The first generation of this family consisted of a 90-year-old great-grandfather and an 87-year-old great-grandmother. These two elderly people could have lived long lives, but they felt that life had improved since the reform and opening up, with abundant material goods and the elimination of ration coupons for chicken, duck, fish, and meat, and that they should enjoy life to the fullest. Driven by this mindset, the elderly couple bought fish and meat every day, and couldn't go a meal without meat. Not only did they eat it themselves, but they also encouraged the whole family to eat it. They often woke up in the middle of the night to fry two eggs for dinner. As a result, within two years, both the great-grandfather and great-grandmother developed hyperlipidemia. Doctors prescribed intravenous treatment and advised them to restrict their diet, limiting fatty meat and other high-fat foods. The elderly couple ignored the doctor's advice and continued their eating habits. Finally, the illness struck; after indulging in a large meal of fatty meat, the great-grandmother suffered a massive cerebral infarction and passed away. In the days following the loss of his wife, the great-grandfather was depressed. With no one to accompany him, he found solace only in food. Less than a year later, suffering from hyperlipidemia, he suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and followed his wife to the afterlife. His son, just over 60 years old, suffered a myocardial infarction but survived thanks to timely ambulance intervention. Doctors discovered that none of his blood rheology tests were normal, some exceeding normal values ​​by 12 times. According to the doctor, his illness was caused by both genetics and unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as sleeping late, lack of exercise, playing mahjong all night, and a diet high in fat rather than vegetables and fruits. It was a combination of genetic factors and unhealthy behaviors that caused the second-generation grandfather in this family to also suffer from hyperlipidemia.

With two generations suffering from the same disease, one would expect it to raise awareness among the third and fourth generations, prompting them to change their unhealthy behaviors and prevent the disease from recurring. Unfortunately, the third generation remains medically illiterate. After being laid off from the factory, he opened his own small hardware factory, becoming a third-generation small business owner. He was even more adept at eating meat and playing mahjong than his predecessors. Just over 40, he developed hyperlipidemia. His wife was the first to notice his health problems, saying, "Why are there two spots near the corners of your eyes? Is there something wrong with your health?" He looked in the mirror and indeed saw two pea-sized, irregularly bordered yellow spots at the corners of his eyes. He thought it was just something he'd rubbed off on and washed it with water, but after washing for a while, the spots were still there. He became frightened and rushed to the hospital for a checkup. The doctor explained, "These yellow spots are caused by fat deposits in the dermis, resulting in xanthelasma of the eyelids. It's a clinical manifestation of arteriosclerosis on the eyelid skin." The doctor added, "The appearance of xanthelasma on the eyelids indicates that high blood lipids have been present for some time, and this type of xanthelasma is more common in middle-aged and elderly obese women."

The doctor's words filled him with regret. Why hadn't he taken better care of his health? That awful high blood lipid was so detrimental! First, it affected people in their eighties and nineties, then his father in his sixties, and now he was in his forties. What would his son's generation be like, in his twenties? Speaking of his son, he frowned. His son, just over twenty, was also chubby, often dizzy, and sleepy after meals. Could his son also have high blood lipids? If so, it would mean four generations of the family with high blood lipids. So, he took his son to the hospital. After a consultation and a series of tests, both he and his son were diagnosed with hyperlipidemia, though his son's condition was slightly milder. Returning from the hospital, the son said, "Dad, we need to find a way to treat this, otherwise it'll be troublesome like Great-Grandpa and Grandpa." The wife said, "We need to change our family's eating habits of not eating without meat." The daughter, a medical student, said, "There are so many things we need to change. Our teacher said that to avoid high cholesterol, besides controlling high-fat diets, we also need to change unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as playing less mahjong and exercising more, eating more vegetables and fruits, eating more oatmeal, getting enough sleep, not smoking, and drinking less alcohol, etc. There are so many things we need to pay attention to!" The daughter's words were agreed upon by the whole family, because she was aspiring to be a doctor. From then on, the whole family encouraged and supervised each other, guiding their lives according to the principle of "prevention first, combined with treatment."

After persisting for a period of time, when the second, third, and fourth generations of this family went to the hospital for checkups, their blood lipid levels were close to normal. The doctor said, "Controlling the damage to the body caused by elevated 'bad oil' (low-density lipoprotein) – preventing it from causing trouble in the body – is all about prevention! Your family has already seen the benefits; if you persist, you will go from illness → sub-health → back to health! Don't let up!" Tip: Learning medical knowledge and establishing healthy concepts are things everyone should do. "Prevention first, combined with treatment" is an important measure for controlling high blood lipids.