Triglycerides also circulate in the bloodstream on particles that may contribute to plaque formation. Many people with high triglycerides have other risk factors for atherosclerosis, including high LDL levels or low HDL levels, or abnormal blood sugar glucose levels. Genetic studies have also shown some association between triglycerides and cardiovascular disease.
About 71 million Americans have high cholesterol. A standard lipid blood test usually measures the concentration of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides levels. The LDL-cholesterol level is typically estimated from these numbers using a well-established formula that has been more recently revised and improved by researchers at Johns Hopkins.
So what are your target numbers? In general, women have higher levels of HDL cholesterol than men because the female sex hormone estrogen seems to boost this good cholesterol. But, like so much else, everything changes at menopause. At this point, many women experience a change in their cholesterol levels — total and LDL cholesterol rise and HDL cholesterol falls.
This is why women who had favorable cholesterol values during their childbearing years might end up with elevated cholesterol later in life. Of course, genetics and lifestyle factors can play big roles, too. Medication: Depending on your overall cardiovascular disease risk, you might be treated with a cholesterol-lowering medication, such as a statin. If you already have vascular disease or evidence of atherosclerosis, or if you are at high risk for cardiovascular disease, a statin for prevention is strongly recommended because this treats the plaque in the arteries, and lowers LDL cholesterol, Michos says.
While nobody wants to have high cholesterol, there are plenty of ways to keep it in check. One of the best things you can do to protect and improve your health is to stay informed.
If you have a new or existing heart problem, it's vital to see a doctor. Our heart health checklist can help you determine when to seek care.
Health Home Wellness and Prevention. Understanding the Highs and Lows of Cholesterol You know that too much is dangerous. And guess what? How Treatment Is Determined If you have high cholesterol, you and your health care professional will determine the type of treatment that is most appropriate for you and your lifestyle. These are: Diabetes Kidney disease Coronary heart disease Peripheral vascular disease Presence of vascular disease Age in general, the older you are, the more likely your health care professional will decide drug therapy is appropriate if your LDL cholesterol level is too high; for women, 55 is often the threshold age Smoking or daily exposure to secondhand smoke High blood pressure.
Medication Options for Treating High Cholesterol There are several medications that reduce cholesterol levels. These groups are: People with a history of a cardiac event—a heart attack, stroke, stable or unstable angina, peripheral artery disease, transient ischemic attack or coronary or other arterial revascularization.
People ages 40 to 75 who have LDL cholesterol levels between 70 and and a 7. This drug may not be prescribed if you have diabetes because it can raise blood sugar slightly. Update on Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy for Treating Elevated Cholesterol Postmenopausal hormone therapy once was considered a medical option for treating elevated cholesterol in postmenopausal women because research suggested it might prevent the development of heart disease—the end result of high cholesterol levels for a long time.
Prevention There are things you can do to try to keep your cholesterol levels within healthy ranges. In addition to getting your cholesterol screened regularly every four to six years for individuals with no heart disease risk factors , take these steps: Be physically active for at least 30 minutes, most days of the week preferably every day, if possible.
Lose weight if you are overweight. Increase your intake of whole grains, with an emphasis on soluble fiber. Eat at least 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day, preferably from whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes. Increase your intake of poly- and monounsaturated fatty acids and reduce your intake of saturated and trans fats. Limit your saturated fat consumption to less than 5 percent to 6 percent and your intake of trans fat as much as possible.
Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants. Aim for at least 4. If you drink alcohol, consume only moderate amounts, defined as equal to or less than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.
Facts to Know Today, more than one-third of American adults need to lower their blood cholesterol. Cholesterol travels in the blood in packages called lipoproteins, which consist of cholesterol fat and protein. Cholesterol packaged in low-density lipoprotein LDL is often called "bad" cholesterol, because too much LDL in the blood can lead to cholesterol buildup and blockage in the arteries. That is because HDL cholesterol helps transport cholesterol to the liver, which removes it from the body, preventing buildup in the arteries.
A third type of lipoprotein, very low-density lipoprotein vLDL , transports triglycerides in the blood; high levels of vLDL and triglycerides have been linked to increased risk of heart disease. All women should begin blood cholesterol testing at age 20, with testing repeated every four to six years, earlier and more frequently if there are other risk factors for heart disease.
A healthy diet, healthy weight and regular exercise can all protect against heart disease and high cholesterol levels, while your age over 55 for women and family history may increase your risk of heart disease and high cholesterol.
If there is too much cholesterol in your bloodstream, it builds up in the form of plaque on the walls of your arteries, narrowing them and eventually blocking them and reducing the blood flow to your heart. This process increases your risk of a heart attack.
Reducing your intake of high-cholesterol food lowers your risk of heart disease, but it has less impact on blood cholesterol levels than cutting back on saturated and trans fats.
Some people with high cholesterol levels do not respond to changes in diet, however. They will need medication. Questions to Ask Review the following Questions to Ask about cholesterol so you're prepared to discuss this important health issue with your health care professional. What is my overall risk for heart disease? Can we review my risk factors? How often should I have my cholesterol level tested? Why do I keep hearing about "good" and "bad" cholesterol? What are they? What are triglycerides?
What do they have to do with my heart disease risk? What type of test best measures my cholesterol levels? Will you explain the results of my cholesterol test? What types of food should I avoid or add to my diet? When and how often should I have my cholesterol level checked? Based on my cholesterol and other risk factors, am I a good candidate for a statin medication?
What are the risks and benefits of using a statin? Are there alternative medications I can take if I cannot or do not wish to use a statin? If I have high blood cholesterol, are my children at risk for developing high blood cholesterol? I have diabetes. How does it affect my risk for developing high cholesterol? Will it affect treatment? Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in whole-milk dairy products, eggs, animal fats and meat. It belongs to a family of chemicals called lipids, which also includes fat and triglycerides.
It is found in cell walls or membranes throughout the human body and is used to produce hormones, vitamin D and the bile acids that aid the digestion of fat. Your body is able to meet all these needs by producing cholesterol in the liver. What is the connection between cholesterol and heart disease? Over the years, excess cholesterol and fat are deposited in the inner walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
These deposits make the arteries narrower, contributing to atherosclerosis and, if the process is unchecked, heart attack. Why should I worry about cholesterol? Aren't women protected from heart disease? No, women aren't protected. Cardiovascular disease, which includes diseases of the heart and blood vessels such as stroke, is the leading cause of death in women, accounting for one in every four female deaths.
Though women, in general, seem to develop heart disease later in life than men—typically after menopause—the time to worry about your heart's health is NOW. Talk to your health care professional for guidance. What is the difference between "good" cholesterol and "bad" cholesterol? This is the primary type of cholesterol in the blood and contributes to heart disease.
High-density lipoprotein HDL is often called "good" cholesterol because it transports cholesterol from the body to the liver, which helps remove it from the body and prevents it from clogging arteries. How are cholesterol levels tested? A lipid profile is a blood test usually administered after fasting for nine to 12 hours. It is the preferred test for measuring cholesterol levels. What can I do to reduce my cholesterol level without taking medications?
Talk to your health care professional for the best strategy based on your personal and family health history. Lifestyle changes—including weight loss, exercise and a healthy diet—are just as effective as medication in lowering cholesterol for most people. What drugs are available to lower high cholesterol? Many medications in the statin class of drugs are available, including atorvastatin Lipitor , fluvastatin Lescol , lovastatin Mevacor, Altoprev , pravastatin Pravachol , rosuvastatin calcium Crestor , pitavastatin Livalo and simvastatin Zocor.
These drugs are highly effective, reducing overall cardiovascular risk. Statins are the most frequently prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs, but there are other types of cholesterol-lowering drugs available, including bile acid sequestrants resins , fibrates and cholesterol absorption inhibitors.
The updated guidelines recommend considering non-statin drugs in the treatment of high cholesterol, including ezetimibe and PCSK9 inhibitors.
Isn't niacin just a vitamin I can take without a prescription? The amount of niacin, or nicotinic acid, needed to reduce cholesterol levels is higher than the recommended amount in vitamins. You shouldn't attempt to take cholesterol-reducing quantities without a recommendation from your health care professional health care professional. The drug can have severe side effects, including liver problems, gout and high blood sugar. If you have diabetes, you should check with your health care professional because niacin can have a modest impact on blood sugar.
Is there any nutritional supplement or alternative medication that will do the trick? Omega-3 fatty acids have been publicized for cholesterol-lowering effects. Ask your health care professional for more information about fish oil supplements that may help to reduce cholesterol.
Lifestyle Tips Practice cholesterol-lowering cooking The definition of "low fat" is now more specific. Medical guidelines suggest you should reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat to keep your cholesterol in check.
Saturated fat is found in animal products, including meat and whole-milk dairy foods. To cut back on saturated fats, try these cooking tips—they're a healthier way for the whole family to eat: Rely on spices and other seasonings instead of fat for flavor. Select poultry, fish and lean cuts of meat.
Remove the skin from chicken and trim the fat from meat. Use low-fat cooking methods like poaching, baking and broiling instead of frying. Use low-fat or non-fat yogurt, sour cream and cream cheese instead of the high-fat varieties. The Heart Check program assigns a heart-check mark icon to the front-of-packages of foods that meet the AHA's criteria for a heart-healthy diet.
Get Serious About Exercising Do you keep putting off exercising? You shouldn't. Not only can regular physical activity such as walking make you look and feel better, it may lower your LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels, raise HDL or "good" cholesterol levels, help you trim down if you're overweight, lower your blood pressure and make your heart and lungs more fit.
Before starting any activity program, talk with your health care professional to make sure it's safe for you. Steer clear of trans fats Like saturated fat, trans fatty acids TFAs can raise cholesterol. There are several ways to lower cholesterol, including medications that your doctor can prescribe. Statins are the most common drug prescribed to treat high cholesterol.
Diet and lifestyle are also extremely important for lowering cholesterol levels. Here are a few lifestyle tips to help you lower or maintain healthy cholesterol levels:. Though high cholesterol and heart disease tend to occur later in life for women compared to men, heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death for American women.
Premenopausal women are likely to have higher levels of HDL cholesterol compared with men, due to a hormone known as estrogen. High cholesterol has no signs or symptoms, so the only way to know if you have it is to get your cholesterol checked by a doctor on a regular basis, especially after you go through menopause. The earlier you treat risk factors for heart disease like high cholesterol, the less likely you are to develop heart disease.
Read this article in Spanish. High triglycerides can have many causes, including genetics. When it's an inherited condition, it's known as familial hypertriglyceridemia. HDL cholesterol removes extra cholesterol and plaque buildup in your arteries. High cholesterol often has no symptoms, but can lead to serious health issues. Having too many triglycerides in your blood can be harmful and lead to heart disease. Here are some natural ways to lower your triglycerides.
Carrying high levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood ups the chance of heart attack and stroke. You want to do all you can to keep cholesterol levels…. Non-HDL cholesterol is a way of measuring how much of the "bad" kinds of cholesterol you have in your blood. Learn more here. A new study found that cholesterol levels were linked to cancer cells becoming more resilient. Cancer cells may metastasize easier in people with high….
Learn why LDL is usually considered "bad" and what to do if you have too much.
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