Cholesterol

CHOLESTEROLWhat is it? How does it cause heart

disease?

• A fat like substance in your blood

• When there is too much cholesterol in your blood, it builds up in the walls of your arteries. Over time, this buildup causes “hardening of the arteries” so that arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the heart is slowed down or blocked.

Why is knowing your cholesterol important?

• High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart disease

• Heart disease is the #1 killer of men & women in the United States

• Anyone can have high cholesterol--even if you are active, thin, young or old

• Lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens the risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of a heart attack or dying of heart disease

LIPID PROFILE

• a detailed measure of the fats in your blood • consists of measuring your total cholesterol, HDL

cholesterol, triglycerides and calculating your LDL cholesterol

• Cholesterol is one of several components that form your lipid profile

• HDL: good cholesterol• LDL: bad cholesterol• Triglycerides: fatty acids and glycerol

So, what are the desired numbers?

• TOTAL CHOLESTEROL

• TRIGLYCERIDES

• HDL• HDL

• LDL

• < 200

• < 150

• > 40 for men• > 50 for women

• < 100

What Affects Cholesterol Levels?

• Diet

• Weight

• Physical Activity

• Age & Gender

• Heredity

How many risk factors do you have?

• High LDL?

• Low HDL?

• High Blood Pressure?

• High Glucose?

• Overweight?

• Smoker?

• Inactivity & Lack of Exercise?

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

GET YOUR NUMBERS!

• See your primary care physician

• Therapeutic lifestyle changes:

• diet• weight management• physical activity• drug therapy