High Cholesterol: A Classic Baby Boomer Health Issue

by Vincent Scott Worried about your cholesterol? Take this quiz from the Mayo Clinic to see how much you know about fat and cholesterol and whether your diet is helping or hurting you: Cholesterol Quiz Cholesterol is a type of fat that is vital to cell production. But when your body produces too much of it or can’t rid itself of the extra cholesterol it gets from the food you eat, you may end up with a serious condition.  High cholesterol increases your risk of heart attack or other forms of heart disease. If you’re a Baby Boomer, you should have your cholesterol tested every year, since there will be no outward sign that you have a problem. Generally, normal cholesterol is 200 or less, and a cholesterol level of 240 is “at risk.” Sophisticated cholesterol tests measure three specific types of cholesterol: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is considered “bad cholesterol”, and is responsible for clogging your arteries. High-density cholesterol (HDL) helps to counteract the effects of LDL, and clear your arteries. Triglycerides are a third type of fat found in your blood.  They are similar in effect to LDL, so a low level of triglycerides is desirable. What Causes High Cholesterol? •    Too much fat in your diet. To help control cholesterol, your daily calories should include 30 percent or less of fat (or 57 grams). •    Too little exercise.  Get at least 30-45 minutes of exercise, three times or more per week. •    General health.  People who smoke, are overweight, have under active thyroid, diabetes, or lipid dysfunction may have high cholesterol and should be checked more often. •    Age.  Unfortunately, cholesterol gradually climbs as you approach middle age. Women may have the pleasure of lagging behind in the cholesterol count, until after menopause when they begin to catch up quickly. More Information About Cholesterol You probably know that there are medicines your doctor can prescribe that help lower your cholesterol.  But by changing your habits, you may be able to lower it yourself and avoid expensive medications that may have side effects. From the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute here is TLC, a set of lifestyle changes to help lower your LDL: •    Limit the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol you eat. •    Limit your calories to the amount you need to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. •    Eat more soluble fiber.  Good sources of soluble fiber are apples and oatmeal. •    Add to your diet some cholesterol lowering foods, like margarines that contain plant sterol or stanol esters. •    Lose weight if you need to. This can help lower your LDL.  If you’re a man with a waist measurement greater than 40, or for a woman, 35 inches, you may be at greater risk. •    Exercise regularly.  Here is a link to important information about appropriate exercise. Appropriate Exercise for Lowering Cholesterol Here is a great article you may enjoy from Prevention magazine that talks about the fats you can eat that will actually help bring down your bad cholesterol.  They include peanut butter, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, olives, avocados, and more.  Avocados, for example, are high in HDLs, or good cholesterol that fight LDLs, bad cholesterol. If you love peanut butter, here’s really good news: this article reveals that people who include a moderate amount of peanut butter in their diets tend to have lower body masses. Prevention If you’d like to receive a weekly health issues newsletter from the Mayo Clinic: House Call Newsletter Comments (0) >> Write comment Name Email Website Title Comment Write the displayed characters Add Comment

 

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