| Even
if your blood cholesterol level is close to the desirable
range (see page 2), you can lower
it and reduce your risk of getting heart disease. Eating
in a heart-healthy way, being physically active, and losing
weight if you are overweight are things everyone can do
to help lower their levels. This fact sheet will show
you how. But first, a few things you ought to know...
The Blood Cholesterol— Heart Disease
Connection
When you have too much cholesterol in your blood, the
excess builds up on the walls of the arteries that carry
blood to the heart. This buildup is called "atherosclerosis"
or "hardening of the arteries." It narrows the arteries
and can slow down or block blood flow to the heart.
With less blood, the heart gets less oxygen. With not
enough oxygen to the heart, there may be chest pain
("angina" or "angina pectoris"), heart attack ("myocardial
infarction"), or even death. Cholesterol buildup is
the most common cause of heart disease, and it happens
so slowly that you are not even aware of it. The higher
your blood cholesterol, the greater your chance of this
buildup.
Other Risk Factors for Heart Disease
A high blood cholesterol level is not the only thing
that increases your chance of getting heart disease.
Here is a list of known risk factors:
Factors You Can Do Something About
•
Cigarette smoking
• High blood cholesterol (high total and LDL-cholesterol)
• Low HDL-cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Obesity/overweight
• Physical inactivity
Factors You Cannot Control
•
Age:
- 45 years or older for men
- 55 years or older for women
•
Family history of early heart disease (heart attack
or sudden death):
- father or brother stricken before the age of 55
- mother or sister stricken before the age of 65
The more risk factors you have, the greater your chance
of heart disease. Fortunately, most of these risk factors
are things you can do something about.
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