Infographic originally created by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
High cholesterol means there is too much of the fatty substance (cholesterol)in your blood and built up in your arteries. This significantly impacts the risk of heart disease and heart attack. Patients over 35 should be getting their total cholesterol tested annually to ensure they are healthy. Your total cholesterol includes your LDL, HDL, and triglycerides.
Nearly 1 in every 2 American women has high or borderline high cholesterol.
How To Lower High Cholesterol According To The Mayo Clinic:
- Choose healthier fats. Saturated fats, found primarily in red meat and dairy products, raise your total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol.
- Eliminate trans fats. This is comprised of highly processed or fried foods. Skipping the drive-through is an easy way to accomplish this.
- Exercise Daily. Moving your body helps it process out the cholesterol and can raise the good cholesterol.
- Give up the nicotine. Smoking or using smokeless tobacco increases your HDL and raises your blood pressure immediately after use.
- Limit your alcohol consumption. Binge drinking and heavy drinking has huge effects on your heart including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease.
- Use medication. Your cardiologist may prescribe a cholesterol reducing medication in extreme cases. You need regular check-ups to determine if this is necessary.
