Thursday, September 30, 2010

High Cholesterol: What Does It Really Mean?

September is National Cholesterol Education Month. Because coronary heart disease (CHD) is still the culprit of 50 percent of all deaths in America, the issue of cholesterol continues to loom large. Why? It’s simple — the higher ones cholesterol, the larger the chance that one will develop heart artery blockages or CHD. While the percentage of Americans with high cholesterol and those with CHD is lower than in decades past, there remains an extremely high percentage of people with one or both of these conditions. In 2007, approximately one in every six adults —16.3 percent of the U.S. adult population — had high total cholesterol. However, another statistic showed that about 21.5 percent of people said that their cholesterol had never been checked. It is important to realize that part of the reason that high cholesterol and CHD has become less prevalent is because of early detection of high cholesterol levels and the strategies adopted to reduce them. The key, then, is to know what your cholesterol profile is (ie. demand the simple blood test) and learn how to reduce your risks for heart disease.


Chicago Defender, Dr Dave Montgomery, 9/22/2010

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