Good health means more that treating illnesses when they occur. It also means achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, getting optimal nutrition, exercising and staying fit, and taking steps to prevent disease. Taking control of your health and well being gives you the best chance for living a full and rewarding life.

High cholesterol affects approximately 50 million Americans and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease — which half of all men and a third of all women will get at some time in their lives.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that your body needs to function normally. It’s used in the cell membranes that surround cells throughout your body. You also use cholesterol to make important chemicals, including hormones, vitamin D and the acids that help you digest fat.

Cholesterol has a variety of uses in the body that are very important, but the body makes all it needs and we don’t need to get any more from our food. In fact, when the level of cholesterol in the blood gets too high, it can start to cause trouble. The higher the cholesterol level in your blood, the greater your risk for heart disease—the number 1 killer of Americans, both women and men.

Here are the total values that matter to you:

• Less than 200 mg/dL 'Desirable' level that puts you at lower risk for heart disease. A cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL or greater increases your risk.
• 200 to 239 mg/dL 'Borderline-high.'
• 240 mg/dL and above 'High' blood cholesterol. A person with this level has more than twice the risk of heart disease compared to someone whose cholesterol is below 200 mg/dL.

HDL cholesterol - High density lipoproteins (HDL) is the 'good' cholesterol. HDL carries cholesterol in the blood from other parts of the body back to the liver, which leads to its removal from the body. So HDL helps keep cholesterol from building up in the walls of the arteries.

Here are the HDL-Cholesterol Levels that matter to you:

• Less than 40 mg/dL A major risk factor for heart disease
• 40 to 59 mg/dL The higher your HDL, the better
• 60 mg/dL and above An HDL of 60 mg/dL and above is considered protective against heart disease.

What’s the connection? Well, there are 2 forms of cholesterol in your blood: LDL and HDL. When there’s too much cholesterol in your bloodstream, the cholesterol from LDL can build up in the walls of your arteries. Along with fats like triglycerides and other things in the bloodstream, it forms a growing “plaque” that bulges out of the artery wall and can begin to block blood flow—a process called atherosclerosis. Where LDL cholesterol does its most harm is in the walls of the arteries going to the heart—the coronary arteries. Problems get even worse if a plaque bursts and a blood clot forms on top, which can block an artery.

That’s why a high LDL cholesterol level increases your risk for heart disease. Like any muscle, the heart’s own muscle needs a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients, delivered by the blood in the coronary arteries. When these arteries become narrowed or clogged by plaque, the result is coronary heart disease. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off, the result is a heart attack.

HDL cholesterol seems to have the opposite effect of LDL; higher HDL levels are associated with a lower risk for heart disease.

Some factors affecting your cholesterol level are out of your control. As you get older, for example, your cholesterol level naturally rises. Before menopause, women have lower total cholesterol levels than men of the same age, but after menopause women’s LDL levels tend to rise. High blood cholesterol can also run in families. Your genes affect how fast you make cholesterol and remove it from the blood.

However, there are things you can control to help keep your cholesterol down:

• First, saturated fat raises your LDL cholesterol level more than anything else in your diet. It’s found mostly in meats and full-fat dairy products like whole milk, cheese and butter. Another type of fat called trans fat raises cholesterol similarly, but makes up far less of the American diet. Cholesterol in foods can also raise blood cholesterol levels, but its effect is not as strong as these fats’. Saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol are all listed on food labels so that you can choose foods with lower amounts to help lower your LDL cholesterol level.
• Foods with soluble fiber, such as whole grain cereals, fruits and beans help lower your cholesterol, too. And some products, such as specially labeled margarines, orange juices and yogurts, contain the LDL-lowering compounds “stanols” and “sterols.”
• Excess weight can increase your LDL cholesterol level. Losing weight can help lower your LDL and total cholesterol levels, as well as raise your HDL and lower your triglycerides.
• Regular physical activity can help you control your weight, lower your LDL and raise your HDL levels. You should try to be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day.

If these lifestyle changes don’t lower your LDL cholesterol enough, medication can help. Medication should be added to lifestyle changes, not substituted for them. Lifestyle changes can bring benefits medications can’t. While both can lower LDL, lifestyle improvements can lower blood pressure and other risk factors as well.

Look for more Adult Preventative Care advice in the May newsletter.

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