Sickle Cell Anaemia

Sickle Cell Anaemia is a recessive genetic disorder, it's caused by a mutation in the haemoglobin gene. This causes an altered haemoglobin protein to be produced. This means the red blood cells become sickle shaped (concave) - not the typical shape you're probably aware of. The red blood cell's concave shape means they can't flow through capillaries easily like normal red blood cells can so the capillaries can become blocked - blood flow is then restricted. This can also bring up so many more issues like organ damage and periods of acute pain.

Some people can be carriers of the sickle cell gene, amazingly, carriers of the sickle cell gene are partially protected from malaria. Because of this advantageous effect, the frequency of the sickle cell gene have increased. Unfortunately this means the likelihood of inheriting two copies of the allele are increased - overall, this means sickle cell anaemia is more prevalent in these areas.
 

What is cholesterol?

 

We always hear about cholesterol - pretty much why too much of it's bad, and they're not wrong. There are two types of cholesterol, both good and bad. It's a soft and waxy material found in the membranes of cells. From here, it's transported into your blood stream. Partly, this is a substance produced by your body and partly absorbed from animal products you eat, this includes eggs, meat and dairy products.

The bad cholesterol is obviously the stuff we should try and limit, this is because it can clog blood vessels. The issue here, is that it increases your risk of heart attacks and strokes. Good cholesterol however removes the bad cholesterol. It takes it to the liver to be destroyed. This means that if you've got a lot of good cholesterol in your system, it actually works to protect your body from heart disease.