Cholesterol | HealthInfi

Overview

High blood cholesterol is a major women’s health issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every six adults—or 16.3 percent of the population—has high cholesterol, defined as 240 mg/dL or higher. The average cholesterol level among American adults is 200 mg/dL, which is borderline high risk.

More women than men have high cholesterol in the United States, which puts them at about twice the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) as those without the condition.

But don’t fool yourself into thinking that high blood cholesterol is a problem only for middle-aged or elderly men and women. As the obesity rates in children, teenagers and young adults are rising, so are the rates of high cholesterol in these populations.

Guidelines released by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), a division of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), in May 2001 and in July 2004, substantially expanded the number of American women and men who need treatment for high cholesterol. The next update is due out soon.

Based on mounting evidence that deaths from heart disease could be cut with aggressive treatment of high cholesterol, the NCEP guidelines spotlight elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol. Elevated LDL cholesterol injures blood vessel walls and has been identified as a major cause of CHD.

NCEP recommendations include:

• More aggressive cholesterol lowering treatment and better identification of those at risk for a heart attack
• Use of a complete lipoprotein profile as the first test for high cholesterol
• A revised level at which low HDL cholesterol becomes a major heart disease risk factor
• A revised optimal level for LDL cholesterol for the population
• More aggressive treatment of high cholesterol for those with diabetes
• More intensive LDL cholesterol goals and treatment options for people at very high, high and moderately high risk for heart attack
• Intensified use of nutrition, physical activity and weight control to treat elevated cholesterol levels. Medication may also be recommended for individuals at moderate to high or very high risk of developing heart disease, based on their cholesterol ranges. This integrated approach, called the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) treatment plan, is a primary recommendation.
• A sharper focus on a cluster of heart disease risk factors linked to insulin resistance, known as the metabolic syndrome, which often occur together and dramatically increase the risk for coronary complications
• Increased attention to the treatment of high triglycerides, complex lipoproteins that can also raise your risk for heart disease
• Advisory against using menopausal hormone therapy (HT) to treat high cholesterol

Your Cholesterol Glossary—Terms to Know

While high levels of cholesterol—a waxy, fat-like substance—are dangerous, our bodies do need some cholesterol. Cholesterol belongs to a family of chemicals calledlipids, which also includes fat and triglycerides. Cholesterol is found in cells or membranes throughout the body and is used to produce hormones, vitamin D and the bile acids that help digest fat. The body is able to meet all these needs by producing cholesterol in the liver.Read More