High LDL1
I mentioned in an earlier post about blood pressure being a silent killer.  High cholesterol  is another silent health risk that can be deadly. Do you have high cholesterol?  According to a Center for Disease Control report more Americans are aware of their cholesterol levels, that’s great! Right?

Then why do nearly 1/6 United States Adults still have high total cholesterol?

Perhaps we need to take a closer look at cholesterol. You know the drill, Cholesterol 101. What is cholesterol? How can it be deadly? Today, let’s focus on LDL or the “bad” cholesterol and how if not managed properly can have health risks.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that’s found in the fats (lipids) in your blood.  While your body needs cholesterol to continue building healthy cells, having high cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.

When you have high cholesterol, you may develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels.  Eventually these deposits make it difficult for blood to flow through your arteries.  Your heart may not get as much oxygen-rich blood as it needs, which increases the risk of a heart attack.  Decreased blood flow to your brain can cause a stroke.

HighLDL4

Symptoms of High Cholesterol:

High cholesterol has no symptoms.  A blood test is the only way to detect high cholesterol.

When to see a doctor:
Those of us at a certain age, have already had a lipid panel or lipid profile done.  However, if you haven’t you need to have the lipid panel completed to know your results/baseline cholesterol test, then retested at least every five years.  If your results aren’t within desirable ranges, your doctor may recommend more frequent measurements.  Your doctor may also suggest you have more frequent tests if you have a family history of high cholesterol, heart disease or other risk factors, such as smoking, diabetes (see Sugar Appeal post) or high blood pressure (see Silent But Deadly Post).

Blood levels for  LDL Cholesterol (not total cholesterol): 

  • Desirable:  < 130 mg/dL
  • Borderline:  130 – 159 mg/dL
  • High:          > = 160 mg/dL

 Treatment Option (s):

HDL5

Statins  – among the most prescribed medications for lowering cholesterol – block a substance your liver needs to make cholesterol.  This causes your liver to remove cholesterol from your blood.  Statins may also help your body reabsorb cholesterol from built-up deposits on your artery walls.
No matter what the medication that is prescribed to lower one’s cholesterol, it is most important to continue to make lifestyle modifications like eating heart healthy foods, exercise regularly, quit smoking and lose extra weight.

Don’t allow inactivity, obesity, and unhealthy diet to take you on a unhealthy health detour.