Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been the top cause of death in Malaysian for more than a decade. CVD includes coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease (strokes) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

心血管疾病（CVD）在这十多年来一直是马来西亚人死亡的首要原因。心血管疾病包括冠心病（CHD）、脑血管疾病（中风）和外周动脉疾病（PAD）。

Hyperlipidemia are acquired or genetic disorders that result in a high level of lipids (fats, cholesterol and triglycerides) in the blood. These lipids can enter the walls of arteries and increase the risk of CVD.

血液中的高水平脂质（脂肪、胆固醇和甘油三酯）是导致后天或遗传性的高脂血症。这些脂质可进入动脉壁，提高患上心血管疾病的风险。

Cholesterol is a waxy fat protein made by the liver. It is essential for healthy cell membranes, brain functioning, hormone production, and vitamin storage. Cholesterol becomes a problem when too much bad cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL), is produced or ingested through unhealthy foods. Lipoproteins transport cholesterol through the blood to the cells.
LDL is bad because it enables excess cholesterol to build up in the blood.
HDL is good because it carries extra cholesterol back to the liver where it can be eliminated.
Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood. These are different from cholesterol, but because of their strong association with heart disease, triglycerides are also measured.
A person with hyperlipidemia may have high levels of both LDL and triglycerides.

胆固醇是肝脏产生的蜡质脂肪蛋白质。它对于细胞膜、大脑功能、激素产生和维生素储存至关重要。当通过不健康食物所摄取过多的坏胆固醇或低密度脂蛋白（LDL）时，胆固醇将成为一个问题。脂蛋白会通过血液将胆固醇转送到细胞中。

低密度脂蛋白（LDL）是坏胆固醇。它使多余的胆固醇积聚在血液中，反之高密度脂蛋白（HDL）是好胆固醇。它把多余的胆固醇带回肝脏，并将其清除。

甘油三酯是血液中的一种脂肪。它与胆固醇不同，但由于它与心脏病有着密切的关系，因此我们也需测量甘油三酯。患有高脂血症的人可能会有高水平的低密度脂蛋白和甘油三酯。

What is LDL-Cholesterol? / 什么是低密度脂蛋白胆固醇？
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a key marker for the risk of development of heart disease. It contributes to fatty build-ups in arteries called plaque. These plaques build-up later can narrow the arteries. When the arteries narrowed, the blood flow to and from the heart is blocked thus cause angina or heart attack.

低密度脂蛋白（LDL）是导致心脏病发的关键因素。它会导致斑块（动脉脂肪）的堆积。这些积聚的斑块会缩小动脉。当动脉变窄时，流入和流出心脏的血液会被阻塞，从而引起心绞痛或引发心脏病。

According to Clinical Practice Guideline for Hyperlipidemia 2017, the target LDL-C level is as follow: –

根据2017年高脂血症临床实践指南，LDL-C标准水平如下：
For people with low risk of CVD / 心血管疾病（CVD）风险低的人 : < 3.0 mmol/L

For people with high risk of CVD / 心血管疾病（CVD）风险高的人 : <2.6 mmol/L

How to reduce the level of LDL-Cholesterol? / 如何降低LDL胆固醇水平？
Three main points to be highlighted which are quit smoking, eating right, and be physically active.
In order to reduce the risk of CVD and lowered LDL-C level, one should consider to stop smoking. This is because smoking creates an environment in the bloodstream that leads to a damaging breakdown of cholesterol, making LDL even more toxic to blood vessels, increasing deposits of plaque in the arteries, and increasing inflammation.

三个要点：戒烟、正确的饮食和保持活跃。

戒烟可以降低心血管疾病的风险和LDL-C水平。这是因为吸烟会导致胆固醇清除过程受阻，使LDL对血管的毒性更大，增加动脉斑块的沉积，继而增加发炎。

You should also look into your diet. The key to a healthy heart is to limit saturated fats and trans fats in your diet. Foods with a lot of saturated fat include butter, fatty flesh like red meat, palm oil, and coconut oil. If you see partially hydrogenated fat in the ingredient list of a food label, that food has trans fats.

您应该注意您的饮食。健康心脏的关键是限制饮食中的饱和脂肪及反式脂肪的摄入量。含大量饱和脂肪的食物有黄油、红肉、棕榈油和椰油。如果您在食物标签的成分列表中看到部分氢化脂肪，那食物就会含有反式脂肪。

Eat a lot more fiber-rich foods (especially soluble fiber from foods like beans, oats, barley, fruits, and vegetables). Nuts and seeds have been proven to modestly lower LDL cholesterol levels. Common legumes such as lentils, peas, and beans, such as pinto beans, red beans, white beans, and soybeans can also help to lower LDL cholesterol level.

多摄取富含纤维的食物（特别是含可溶性纤维的豆类、燕麦、大麦、水果和蔬菜）。坚果和籽类已证实可适度降低LDL胆固醇水平。普通豆类如扁豆、豌豆、斑豆、红豆、白豆和大豆也可以帮助降低LDL胆固醇水平。

Being overweight tends to increase the amount of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in your blood. Being active and exercising daily can help you to achieve normal weight thus able to reduce the LDL level in your blood.

超重往往会增加血液中的低密度脂蛋白（LDL）含量。每天锻炼和保持活跃可以帮助您达到正常体重，从而降低血液中的LDL水平。

Stay tuned for our Part 2 on HDL – Cholesterol

请继续关注我们第2部关于高密度脂蛋白胆固醇的帖子

 Keep reading and stay healthy!

继续阅读！常保健康！