Learn the Dangers of High Cholesterol

Dangers of High Cholesterol

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While many Americans now know about the dangers of high cholesterol, many of them aren't doing anything about it.

High LDL cholesterol can lead to heart disease. It’s as simple as that. Our modern lifestyle is slowly killing us. I don’t wish to sound dramatic, but it is the truth. Most of us lead a sedentary lifestyle, we eat fast foods for our lunch and too many saturated fats during the rest of the day. Obesity is becoming something that resembles an epidemic and is also a risk factor for developing heart disease.

Dr. James Cleeman, coordinator of the National Cholesterol Education Program at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. "People can identify that high cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease and that they ought to do something about it. The problem is what they know and what they do are not necessarily lined up.”

About 102 million Americans have total blood cholesterol levels of 200 milligrams per deciliter and higher — which is above what's deemed desirable, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Of those, 41.3 million have levels of 240 and higher, which is considered high risk. We are pleased to be able to recommend a Cholesterol Lowering Diet Plan that is designed by cardiologists, nutritionists and personal trainers.

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It really isn’t so difficult to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke or diabetes. Reducing the amount of fats and cholesterol in our diets is a great way to start. A well balanced diet, regular exercise, weight reduction will not only lower your cholesterol levels, it will help you lose weight, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, it will also have a positive impact on your blood pressure.

Know Your 'Good' and 'Bad' Cholesterol

People should be aware of not only their total cholesterol, but also their levels of so-called "good" HDL cholesterol, "bad" LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, which are fatty compounds in the blood.

HDL levels should be 40-60 milligrams per deciliter or higher, LDL levels should be less than 100 and triglycerides should be less than 150. Your doctor will probably advise you to have their cholesterol levels checked at least every five years. However, if your levels are high your doctor will probably suggest much more frequent visits.

Please visit the other pages of our web site dealing with many issues concerning cholesterol, perhaps a good place to start is our Cholesterol FAQ