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"If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is
completely cut off by a blockage, the result is a heart
attack."
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What You Need
to Know About Cholesterol
By CIGNA
HealthCare
High blood cholesterol is one of the major
risk factors for heart disease. In fact, the
higher your blood cholesterol level, the
greater your risk for developing heart disease
or having a heart attack.
How Does Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease?
When there is too much cholesterol (a
fat-like substance) 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. If the blood supply to a
portion of the heart is completely cut off by
a blockage, the result is a heart attack.
What Do Your Cholesterol Numbers Mean?
Everyone age 19 years and older should have
his or her cholesterol measured at least once
every five years. It is best to have a blood
test called a "lipoprotein profile"
to find out your cholester9l numbers. This
blood test is done after a 9 to 12- hour fast
and gives information about your:
- Total Cholesterol
- LDL (bad) cholesterol
- the main
source of cholesterol buildup and blockage
in the arteries
- HDL (good) cholesterol
- helps keep
cholesterol from building up in the arteries
- Triglycerides
- another form of fat
in your blood
See how your cholesterol numbers compare to
the numbers below:
|
Total Cholesterol Level |
Category |
|
Less than 200 mg/dL |
Desirable |
|
200-239 mg/dL |
Borderline High |
|
240 mg/dL and above |
High |
|
LDL Cholesterol Level |
LDL Cholesterol Category |
|
Less than 100mg/dL |
Optimal |
|
100-129 mg/dL |
Near optimal/above optimal |
|
130-159 mg/dL |
Borderline High |
|
160-189 mg/dL |
High |
|
190 mg/dL and above |
Very High |
HDL (good) cholesterol protects against
heart disease. So for HDL, high numbers are
better. A level less than 40 mg/dL is low and
is considered a major risk factor because it
increases your risk for developing heart
disease. HDL levels of 60 mg/dL or more help
to lower your risk for heart disease.
Triglycerides can also raise heart
disease risk. Levels that are borderline high
(150-199 mg/dL) or high (200 mg/dL or more)
may need treatment in some people.
What Affects Cholesterol Levels?
Things you can do something about:
Saturated
fat and cholesterol in the food you eat make
your blood cholesterol level go up. Saturated
fat is the main culprit, but cholesterol in
foods also matters.
Weight. Being overweight is a risk
factor for heart disease. It also tends to
increase your cholesterol.
Physical Activity. Not being
physically active is a risk factor for heart
disease. Regular physical activity can help
lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL
(good) cholesterol levels. You should try to
be physically active for 30 minutes on most,
if not all days.
Things you cannot do anything about also
can affect cholesterol levels. These include:
- Age and Gender. As women and men get
older, their cholesterol levels rise. Before
menopause, women have lower total
cholesterol levels than men the same age.
After menopause, women's LDL levels tend to
rise.
- Heredity.
Your genes partly determine
how much cholesterol your body makes. High
blood cholesterol can run in families.
To reduce your risk for heart disease or
keep it low, it is very important to control
any other risk factors you may have, such as
high blood pressure and smoking.
Always discuss with your treating physician
the preventive health care most appropriate
for your needs and clinical condition. Adapted
from National Institutes of Health, National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH
Publication No.01-3290.
These materials are made available
electronically for your convenience by
Alandale Insurance. CIGNA Healthcare and
Alandale Insurance do not control and are not
responsible for the content of these materials
and do not warrant their accuracy.
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