In the vast majority of cases, excess cholesterol (especially if it is linked to being overweight, sedentary and poor diet) does not result in specific symptoms. "When we discover hypercholesterolemia, it is often too late: the patient has just had a heart attack or has cardiovascular disease

However, when excess cholesterol has hereditary characteristics, some marked clinical signs are observed: • Small yellowish spots (xanthomas or xanthelasma) located on the eyelids. Xanthomas can also be tendonous (they are then found in the fingers, wrists or ankles) or be located in the joints. Please note: not all xanthelasmas are caused by excess cholesterol, hence the importance of a correct diagnosis.

• A corneal arc: this is a form of xanthoma located around the eye, drawing like a sort of white circle around the cornea. When it occurs in the elderly, it is called gerontoxon. When it concerns young people, it is a sign of a lipid imbalance and a potential hypercholesterolemia.

Overall, all of the symptoms that may suggest cardiovascular disease involving excess cholesterol are as follows: • pain in the calves, • chest pain with feeling of tightness, • nausea, dizziness, • fever, headache, • shortness of breath, palpitations, • feeling of cold in the extremities, • loss of strength in the face, arms, legs, especially on one side, • speech difficulties, • blurred vision, • etc.

CHOLESTEROL AND VISION

• A study from the Washington University of Medicine in St. Louis showed that with age, the build-up of cholesterol causes new blood vessels to grow, which promote the progression of AMD. • • The progressive obstruction of small vessels or the "release" in the circulation of pieces of atheromatous plaque can result in occlusion of the central artery of the retina or one of its branches, causing a decrease in blood flow. vision. Most of the time, there are no warning signs and the deficit is severe. •

Certain lipids cause the liver to make more cholesterol than it needs and reduce its ability to eliminate it. This is the case of saturated fats, mainly present in animal products, industrial sweetened food preparations as well as in palm and coconut oils.

But nature has been able to compensate for the bad choices that we often make and offers us the possibility of countering the pernicious effects of our diet.