What You Need to Know About Cholesterol

You may have probably heard the term cholesterol but might know what exactly it is and how it affects your body. Cholesterol is a type of fat that is waxy, which moves throughout your body in your blood. Fats and other classify as lipids meaning they are a substance that is insoluble in water, so they do not come apart or disintegrate in blood. Your blood makes cholesterol, but you can also get it from outside foods and supplements. Cholesterol is only found in foods that come from animals, as plants are not capable of producing cholesterol so fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, beans, and others are cholesterol free.  

Why is Cholesterol Important to Our Bodies?

Every cell in the human and animal body needs cholesterol to make cell membranes and their many layers. These layers (cell membrane) are a barrier that keeps the inside of the cell intact and allows only some molecules to get through or out while others cannot. It is safe to say that is a semi-permeable membrane. It is made by the liver and is used by the liver to make bile juice, a digestive fluid. Cholesterol is also needed to produce certain hormones such as glucocorticoids and to produce vitamin D. Your liver makes enough cholesterol to match the body’s needs for these important tasks.

Types of Cholesterol

Cholesterol moves throughout the human body carried by lipoproteins in the blood. These lipoproteins include:

• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is one of the two main lipoproteins. LDL is often called ‘bad cholesterol

• High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are the other main type. HDL is often called ‘good cholesterol

• Very-low-density-lipoproteins (VLDL) are particles that carry triglycerides.
   

If cholesterol is necessary, Why do have to Worry about It?

It is important to have enough cholesterol to meet your bodily needs. Having an excess of anything not only cholesterol can cause problems. If your cholesterol levels are high, the condition is called hypercholesterolemia. It is not common to have cholesterol levels low (hypocholesterolemia) however, it too can happen. Hypercholesterolemia is a condition where cholesterol levels in the body increase to an extent of causing various health problems. LDL found in the blood creates plaque that builds up and hardens around the walls of the blood vessels, due to this build-up; the supply of oxygen-rich blood to the heart is significantly reduced. This may lead to coronary heart disease, heart attacks, and may even result in death. Buildups may even form on arteries that supply blood to other parts of the body such as the brain, arms, and legs, and may cause further various health complications and may need critical care.

If you have cholesterol and wish to avoid health conditions associated with high cholesterol, it is necessary to take preventive measures. You may also want to take proactive steps such as investing in health insurance for cholesterol and/or critical illness insurance.

High Cholesterol and Critical Illness Cover

When diagnosed with a serious/critical illness, critical illness benefits can provide financial support during a very testing time. Many people who experience a critical illness face serious financial difficulties as they recover. In addition, while most medical plans provide coverage for hospital and medical expenses arising from this critical illness, many of the expenses are not covered.

Purchasing critical illness cover when you have high cholesterol, is similar to getting life insurance. If your high cholesterol condition is well controlled, then you should be able to get a critical illness policy at normal terms.

High cholesterol critical illness insurance applications will usually need the details of your latest test reports when you were first diagnosed and if you have had any complications.

Critical illness cover applications are reviewed more strictly than life insurance, as there are more potential claims that you can make. This means that you are more likely to be asked by the insurer to see a medical report.

The higher your cholesterol, the higher premium you might need to pay on your term. This is not always the case, but it is very important to understand the conditions that you’re are being covered for.

It is also essential that you understand the definition of the claimable conditions that are offered. For example, some insurers say ‘diagnosis of a heart attack’ while others can say ‘diagnosis of a heart attack at a specified severity.’

If you find that the insurers you are looking at cannot offer you critical illness cover, or the pricing is out of your budget, we have specialized insurance plans that can perhaps help you out.