The accumulation of bad cholesterol is bad for your health and can lead to heart disease. And a visual detail in your toes may prompt you to consult quickly. Don't miss this telltale sign.
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is normal, even essential, in the human body. It is involved in building cells and producing hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. Having too much of it, however, is harmful: bad cholesterol can block blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and blood clots. That's why it's important to pay attention to it.
The difference between good and bad cholesterol
However, there are two types of cholesterol: "good" and "bad".
In good cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins (HDL) carry cholesterol from cells to the liver where it is broken down or excreted as waste.
In the bad, low-density lipoproteins (LDL) carry cholesterol into cells, accumulating in excessive amounts in the walls of the arteries.
Beyond genetic factors, this bad cholesterol is also favored by modifiable risk factors: a diet rich in saturated fats, processed foods, a too sedentary lifestyle or even smoking. These are therefore avoidable factors.
This sign on your toes that should make you consult
Unfortunately, if left unchecked, excess bad cholesterol, also called hypercholesterolemia, can often go unnoticed... until a serious event occurs. However, there are a few signs that can alert you.
This is particularly the case with a change in the colour of your toes. According to a case reported in the BMJ Case report, a blue or purple colour, associated with pain or swelling, would be a bad sign. This blue toe syndrome occurs when circulation is reduced due to an arterial obstruction. The colouring would be caused by cholesterol embolisms, small crystalline formations detached from plaques in the arteries, which come to block circulation in smaller arteries.
Another case, published in the medical journal Cureus , also found this symptom in a 70-year-old man, but after coronary bypass surgery.
Whether you are aware of your cholesterol level or not, a change in color with or without pain in your toes should therefore lead you to consult a doctor quickly, to avoid an accident.