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 Just For The Health of It
Last Updated: Monday, October 08, 2007


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Watching Your Cholesterol

     Unhealthy blood cholesterol levels are one of the major risk factors for heart disease - the No. 1 killer of American men and women.  The good news is that they can be modified.
     This easy-to-understand brochure will give you all the information you need to determine what your cholesterol numbers should be and how you can keep these numbers in line.

 Making sense of your
blood cholesterol counts

TYPE OF FAT ...
TOTAL BLOOD CHOLESTEROL

Bad

240 mg/dl* and above needs evaluation of HDL and LDL levels

Better

200 to 239 mg/dl is borderline high

Best of all

200 mg/dl and less; 150 mg/dl is ideal

TYPE OF FAT ...
HDLs

Bad

Less than 40 mg/dl

Better

45 mg/dl for men, 55 mg/dl for women

Best of all

60 mg/dl or more

TYPE OF FAT ...
LDLs

Bad

160 mg/dl and above

Better

130 to 199 mg/dl is borderline high

Best of all

129 mg/dl or less is desirable; under 100 mg/dl is ideal

TYPE OF FAT ...
TRIGLYCERIDES

Bad

200 mg/dl or higher is too high

Better

151 to 199 mg/dl is borderline high

Best of all

150 mg/dl or less, but 100 mg/dl or less is ideal

* mg/dl = Milligrams per deciliters of blood

Sources: National Heat, Lung and Blood Institute; National Cholesterol Education Program

VITAMIN E

T aking one 400 IU supplement of vitamin E a day may reduce the number of heart attacks for

both men and women.
     Vitamin E appears to work by neutralizing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol so that it doesn't stick to artery walls, causing atherosclerosis.
     Vitamin E supplements are inexpensive and have no know side effects.  Vitamin E works in addition to -- not instead of -- healthy lifestyle habits.

Source: New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 328, No. 20
 

FOODS THAT CAN "WRECK" YOUR CHOLESTEROL PROFILE ...

High in saturated fats

●

 Fatty red meats (beef, pork, lamb)*

●

 Poultry skin

●

 Butter

●

 Cream, milk, and reduced fat milk

●

 Ice cream

●

 Cheeses

●

 Tropical oils  (coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils -- often found in processed/packaged foods)

●

 Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated (hardened) vegetable oils.

*Limit servings of lean meat, skinless poultry, fish, and seafood to no more than 6 oz. per day.  (A 3-oz. piece of meat is about the size of a deck of cards.)
     Limit read meat to 2 or 3 oz. two to three times a week.

 


HEART DISEASE:
Major risk factors we can do something about*

●

High blood pressure ("hypertension")

●

 Cigarette smoke

●

 Being overweight

●

 Unhealthy blood cholesterol levels

●

 Lack of regular, brisk exercise

●

 Diabetes

●

 Stress

*Other risk factors include being a man 45 years or older, being a woman 55 years or older, and/or having a family history of heart disease.  Although you can't do anything about these risk factors, they do contribute to your total risk.
   
T he main thing to know about these risk factors is that they are "multiplicative".

For example, if you have two risk factors, it's more than twice as bad as having one.

The urgency to do something depends on the total number of risk factors you have.

 

  

Stephen R. Yarnell, MD
Cardiologist

 your doctor about medications that can help bring your blood fats back in line.  (Also be sure to ask your doctor about the potential risks and side effects of these medicines.)
Q WHAT IS NORMAL BLOOD CHOLESTEROL LEVEL? Q HOW CAN I LOWER MY LDL AND RAISE MY HDL?
A Blood cholesterol is composed of three blood fats: LDL ("bad"), HDL ("good"), and triglycerides (20% of the triglyceride level is included in the total cholesterol count).
     Since a total cholesterol count has both "good" and "bad" components, it is impossible to use it to determine your heart disease risk.  You need to know what all three of these are.
     An LDL below 130, and ideally 100 or lower, is the number to aim for -- the lower the better.  For HDL, the higher the better - and anything below 40 is a risk factor.
     Triglycerides are part of the cholesterol number, but also appear to be an independent risk factor in heart disease.  Anything over 150 -- particularly if HDL is low -- can put you at risk.  A level that's 100 or lower is best.		 A A high-fiber, lower-fat diet and regular exercise may work.  If they don't, talk to your doctor about medications that can help bring your blood fats back in line.  (Also be sure to ask your doctor about the potential risks and side effects of these medicines.)
   
Q HOW OFTEN SHOULD I HAVE MY BLOOD CHOLESTEROL LEVELS CHECKED? Q WHICH BLOOD TEST RESULT SHOULD I WATCH MOST CLOSELY?
A If there is a family history of early heart disease, it's a good idea to have your cholesterol profile (HDL, LDL, and triglycerides) checked as early as the teen years.  Otherwise, men should start testing at age 35, women at 45.  A test every five years is fine for most people.  Anyone on cholesterol-lowering medications should have their levels checked more often. A HDL, LDL, and triglycerides are all equally important.  Your total blood cholesterol number is the least important.

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 Exercise!  Walk, run, bike, swim, or otherwise get yourself moving for at least 30 minutes most days of the week.  Exercise can help raise "good" HDL levels.
Lose excess weight.

Drink in moderation (one or two drinks a day).  It may help raise "good" HDL levels, but alcohol is high in calories and increases the risk of high blood pressure and possibly some cancers.
 

Don't smoke, and avoid secondhand smoke.


Eat less saturated fat, which is found in animal foods.  Saturated fat has far more negative impact on blood cholesterol than the cholesterol found in some foods.
Limit foods made with partially hydrogenated (hardened) vegetable oils.  These foods contain artery-damaging saturated and trans fats.  Examples: store-bought cookies and crackers, vegetable shortening, and many margarines.

Vocabulary

 7. Substitute artery-friendly monounsaturated fats (e.g., olive oil, canola oil) for saturated and trans fats.
Also, eat fish once or twice a week for its heart-healthy omega-3 fats.  Walnuts and flaxseed also contain omega-3s.
Total Blood Cholesterol
     This soft, waxy, fat-like substance is critical for good health.  The problem occurs when you have too much of it circulating in your blood.
     Cholesterol is transported through the blood by "carriers" called lipoproteins ...
 8.
9.		 Eat more fiber -- fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  Eat less sugar.

Be happy, and make time to relax.  Anger and hostility have been linked to heart disease.
High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)
     Also called "good" cholesterol, HDL carries excess cholesterol out of the arteries to the liver, where it's removed from the bloodstream.  High HDL levels seem to protect against heart disease.
 10 Take medication if necessary.  Cholesterol-lowering medication is expensive and often has side effects, so try lifestyle changes first.
Talk to your doctor about experimenting with diet and other lifestyle changes to see how they affect your blood chemistry.  If you can truly change your daily habits, you may not have to take medication.
Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)
     Also called "bad" cholesterol, LDL deposits excess cholesterol on the walls of our arteries (plaque) -- leading to atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries).
     If a blood clot lodges in a narrowed artery in the heart, the result is a heart attack.  If it clogs an artery in the brain, the result is a stroke.

 

  


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