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Too high concentration of cholesterol in the blood poses a significant threat to health and even life. This is a dangerous situation that is better to be prevented. It turns out that the first signs of a cholesterol problem may appear on… nails! Check what signals in changing the appearance of nails should not be underestimated.
- High cholesterol does not produce clear and distinct symptoms. The only way to effectively know its level is to perform a laboratory test, the so-called lipidogram
- However, there are many symptoms that can accompany high cholesterol, although they are unusual and most people are not associated with our blood content.
- One of them is the appearance of our nails. What is it actually about?
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
High cholesterol usually has no obvious symptoms that could lead us to change our lifestyle and make changes to our daily diet. For this reason, he is also often referred to as the silent killer. Too high blood cholesterol levels generate many health problems, the most dangerous of which are those related to cardiovascular diseases and abnormal heart function.
To find out if you have high cholesterol, a necessary step is to perform a lipid profile, a blood test that checks your triglycerides, total cholesterol, bad cholesterol (LDL) and good cholesterol (HDL) levels. ). Often the body is ahead of rational action and signals itself that something undesirable is happening. In the case of too high cholesterol, such a sign may be changes on the nails.
Symptoms of high cholesterol you may see on your nails
It is a mistake to think that cholesterol is only a problem for obese people who are overweight. Unfortunately, the sheer volume of duties contributes to dietary neglect, which makes it increasingly common to reach for ready-made food or fast food meals, which are famous for their high content of saturated fat and horrendous amounts of kcal. An unhealthy diet is often accompanied by a lack of exercise, e.g. related to office work and living under constant stress. For this reason, high cholesterol affects a growing group of society.
Complications related to too high levels of bad LDL cholesterol can affect nail changes. Such a symptom is the deterioration of the structure of the nail becomes brittle, gives a feeling of bending easily and begins to crumble. The second symptom that we should not ignore is slow nail growth. The situation should make us think, especially when the previously mentioned symptoms were not a problem for us. If until recently you were happy with strong nails and hard plate, and suddenly the entire structure has significantly weakened, it may be a sign of high blood cholesterol.
What else could indicate high cholesterol?
If left untreated, cholesterol can lead to a chronic disease called atherosclerosis, also known as arteriosclerosis. It is a serious condition that may contribute to hypoxia and stroke. However, this is not the only ailment caused by high cholesterol. PAD, or peripheral arterial disease, is being talked about more and more often.
You can also do a cholesterol test at home. Order today the Multifunction meter – glucose, cholesterol, uric acid – NOVAMA MultiCheck Pro +, which will allow you to regularly check various blood parameters on your own.
What, apart from the symptoms visible on the nails, should prompt us to take the appropriate steps?
The most common symptoms of high blood cholesterol are:
- problems with memory and concentration;
- formation of subcutaneous nodules, most often on the Achilles tendon and wrist;
- the formation of yellow lumps, located e.g. under the breasts, on the eyelids or in the crook of the elbow;
- slow nail growth;
- from nog;
- frequent foot cramps;
- brittle nails;
- cold extremities;
- hard-to-heal wounds;
- numbness in the legs.
How to fight too high cholesterol?
Correct reading of signals sent by the body, such as those visible on the nails, often allows the problem to be identified early enough to prevent the formation of irreversible complications. Early detection of high cholesterol can protect us from cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease or myocardial infarction. Where to start the fight against “bad” cholesterol?
The first modification that should be made right away is making changes to the menu. Diet is extremely important in order to lower cholesterol. Get rid of foods rich in saturated fats. It is also advisable to limit the consumption of red meat and salty snacks such as crisps.
It is worth enriching the menu with vegetables, fish, lean dairy products and whole grains. In addition to diet, the way to get high cholesterol is to exercise and reduce stress. It is not recommended to reach for cigarettes and alcohol, which are harmful to health.
Do you smoke cigarettes, are you overweight and do not move much? Check blood cholesterol levels. The “Cholesterol control – blood lipid metabolism tests” test package will help you with this – you can do them in the Diagnostics network at over 500 points all over Poland.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time Kamila Wykrota, the resilience trainer, will tell us about what resilience is. How does the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and react to adversities affect our quality of life? You will find out by listening to the latest episode of our podcast.