Cholesterol Information
High cholesterol,a major risk factor for heart and blood vessel disease, is most effectively treated with a combination of diet,exercise and cholesterol lowering medications.
When treating high cholesterol,ask your doctor what your treatment goals are as these will vary depending on each individual patient’s current state of health.
Regular exercise can be extremely effective at not only lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol,but also at increasing HDL cholesterol.
Meet with a registered dietician to discuss an aggressive yet practical dietary approach to lowering your cholesterol.
Test & Diagnosis
A cholesterol test is a simple blood test that checks the cholesterol levels in your blood. This test is also called a fasting lipoprotein profile.
A complete cholesterol test — also called a lipid panel or lipid profile — is a group of blood tests that can measure the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood. A cholesterol test can help determine your risk of atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaques in your arteries that can lead to narrowed or blocked arteries throughout your body. If your cholesterol levels are high,you probably won't have any signs or symptoms, so a cholesterol test is an important tool. High cholesterol levels are a significant risk factor for heart disease.
High cholesterol greatly increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, specifically coronary heart disease. The higher your blood cholesterol level, the greater your risk for coronary heart disease.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming one life every 35 seconds. More than a million people have heart attacks every year. There are many forms of cardiovascular diseases. A common one is coronary heart disease, which affects the blood vessels of the heart that causes heart attacks.
Cholesterol testing is recommended as a screening test to be done on all adults at least once every five years. It is frequently done in conjunction with a routine physical exam.
Cholesterol is tested at more frequent intervals (often several times per year) in patients who have been prescribed diet and/or drugs to lower their cholesterol. The test is used to track how well these measures are succeeding in lowering cholesterol to desired levels and in turn lowering the risk of developing heart disease.
Cholesterol should be measured when a person is not ill. Blood cholesterol is temporarily low during acute illness, immediately following a heart attack, or during stress (like from surgery or an accident). You should wait at least 6 weeks after any illness to have cholesterol measured.
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