BASICS OF CHOLESTEROL

JUST FOR LAUGHS…

CAN CHOLESTEROL PROBLEMS BE PREVENTED?The same heart-healthy lifestyle changes that can lower your cholesterol can help prevent you from having high cholesterol in the first place. To help prevent high cholesterol, you can: Lose extra pounds and maintain a healthy

weight Quit smoking Eat a low-fat, low-salt diet that includes many

fruits, vegetables and whole grains Exercise on most days of the week for at least

30 minutes Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all

WHAT RISK FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO ELEVATED CHOLESTEROL?You're more likely to have high cholesterol that can lead to heart disease if you have any of these risk factors: Smoking. Cigarette smoking damages the walls of

your blood vessels, making them likely to accumulate fatty deposits. Smoking may also lower your level of HDL, or "good," cholesterol.

Obesity. Having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater puts you at risk of high cholesterol.

Poor diet. Foods that are high in cholesterol, such as red meat and full-fat dairy products, will increase your total cholesterol. Eating saturated fat, found in animal products, and trans fats, found in some commercially baked cookies and crackers, also can raise your cholesterol level.

RISK FACTORS CONT.

Lack of exercise. Exercise helps boost your body's HDL "good" cholesterol while lowering your LDL "bad" cholesterol. Not getting enough exercise puts you at risk of high cholesterol.

High blood pressure. Increased pressure on your artery walls damages your arteries, which can speed the accumulation of fatty deposits.

RISK FACTORS CONT.

Diabetes. High blood sugar contributes to higher LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol. High blood sugar also damages the lining of your arteries.

Family history of heart disease. If a parent or sibling developed heart disease before age 55, high cholesterol levels place you at a greater than average risk of developing heart disease.

WHAT ARE HDL AND LDL LEVELS?

High Density Lipoproteins Low Density Lipoproteins

Healthy cholesterol Normal range is 40-

59 MG/DL It removes harmful

bad cholesterol from where it doesn't belong. High HDL levels reduce the risk for heart disease .

Lousy cholesterol Normal range is 60-

129 MG/DL Can slowly build up

in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. If a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, heart attack or stroke can result.

TOTAL CHOLESTEROL Your total cholesterol is a combination of

your LDL and HDL. Add you LDL and HDL together. Then divide your triglyceride number by 5 and add that to your HDL and LDL.

Example- LDL is 112, HDL is 45, Triglycerides are 100.112 + 45 + 100/5=112 + 45 + 20 = 177

Normal Total Cholesterol levels= 25 – 199 MG/DL

Occasionally, Total Cholesterol can appear too high due to an excellent HDL.

From the last example:Example- LDL is 112, HDL is 68,

Triglycerides are 100.112 + 72 + 100/5=112 + 72 + 20 = 204

Although 204 is slightly elevated, in this situation, the number is normal.

WHAT ARE YOUR CHOLESTEROL NUMBERS? Look up your numbers from the last

OilerWELL assessment, or your results from a doctor’s visit.

ARE YOUR NUMBERS ALL WITHIN NORMAL RANGE? If not, there are several approaches to

improving them. You and your doctor can decide on the best treatment plan for you.

Options are Dietary and Lifestyle changes and medication therapy.

Continue on this module and see what treatments you might be interested in.

NEW GUIDELINES PUBLISHED

The new cholesterol guidelines decrease the focus on target ranges for cholesterol numbers and shift to an assessment of the patient’s overall risk of developing cardiac disease when making a treatment plan. The guidelines identify four groups of patients with the greatest risk that would benefit from treatment with medication in the statin family of drugs.

THESE FOUR GROUPS ARE:

• Individuals with atherosclerotic (progressive thickening and hardening of the walls of the arteries)cardiovascular disease

• Individuals with LDL cholesterol levels at or above 190 mg/dL

• Individuals with diabetes aged 40-75 with moderately elevated LDL levels

• Individuals with a 10 year risk score at or greater than 7.5% using a specific online risk assessment calculator

GUIDELINES, CONT.No matter what the guidelines say, your medical treatment plan should be developed by you and your physician based on a thorough physical exam and medical history.

REFERNCECS http://

answers.ask.com/health/other/how_is_total_cholesterol_calculated

http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/hdl-cholesterol-the-good-cholesterol

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/AboutCholesterol/About-Cholesterol_UCM_001220_Article.jsp