Be more careful in maintaining health when winter comes, you will not only be at risk of flu but may also be a heart attack or stroke. Recent studies suggest that increased cholesterol levels in the winter, which is one of the conditions.
"In the winter, one must be more careful with the level of cholesterol. Amount of cholesterol in a person's blood will increase when the weather is cold and decreases as the weather becomes warmer," said Dr. Filipe Moura, lead investigator from the State University of Campinas in Brazil.
Changes in cholesterol levels in the blood, may be one of the factors why a person at higher risk of heart attack or stroke in the winter.
The research team led by Moura, collect cholesterol level of more than 227,000 people who have been recorded since 2008 until 2010. The researchers found that during the winter, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol rose an average of 7 milligrams per deciliter (mg / dl) compared to the summer.
During the summer, the levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol rose about 9 percent, but is also accompanied by increased levels of blood fats called triglycerides, which rose about 5 percent.
Moura said that changes in cholesterol levels would be far more extreme on the people who live in the United States, Europe or other regions of the country that has a greater climate change between winter and summer.
The results of these studies will be presented on Saturday (9/3) tomorrow at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, San Francisco. Researchers plan to continue the study to see how the relationship between changes in the seasonal cholesterol with cardiovascular disease.
"There are several reasons that may cause blood cholesterol levels vary each season, including changes in diet, exercise, and exposure to sunlight," said Moura, as written by Everyday Health, Friday (03/08/2013).
When winter comes, someone will eat more calories and fatty foods to warm the body. In fact, these foods have an adverse effect on bad cholesterol. In addition, most people prefer to sit at home rather than work during the winter.
At least the sun exposure in the winter or rainy season which is always covered by clouds, making the body less able to get vitamin D, which can have an effect on cholesterol levels. Researchers also noted that during the winter, people are prone to flu and colds that can affect cholesterol levels.