Note: If you have high cholesterol and your doctor has told
you there may be an underlying genetic cause, you may want to have your
children, under age 20, get their cholesterol levels tested. Talk with your
children’s health care providers about cholesterol testing.
Cholesterol is the only risk factor for cardiovascular disease that I should worry about.
False. There are several other important risk factors
that predispose you to cardiovascular disease. The good news is that most of
these risk factors can be changed by making small modifications in your
lifestyle. Cigarette smoking is by far one of the strongest risk factors for
cardiovascular disease. However, your risk is drastically reduced after one year
of not smoking. After four years of being smoke-free, your risk for
cardiovascular disease is equivalent to that of a non-smoker.
Other risk factors for cardiovascular disease include physical
inactivity, diabetes, uncontrolled high blood pressure, and obesity. The
following guidelines may help you prevent the development and/or progression of
cardiovascular disease:
- Add 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week
- Lower the amount of fat in your diet to under 35 percent of your intake
- Manage your high blood pressure, diabetes, and other medical conditions
Since both of my parents died from coronary disease when they were young, there’s little
I can do to prevent this disease from developing in me.
False. While your family history is an important risk
factor (and not changeable), you can control your risk of developing
cardiovascular disease by controlling high cholesterol (through diet and
sometimes medication), quitting smoking, managing high blood pressure and
diabetes and exercising regularly. In fact, recent research shows that you can
stop or reverse the progress of atherosclerosis by following a very strict risk
factor modification program.
Because atherosclerosis is a slow, gradual process that probably
starts in childhood, it is important to have your cholesterol levels tested at
age 20. Those who have a strong family history of heart disease should be even
more vigilant in testing their cholesterol levels. A strong family history is:
- Having a first-degree male relative who had a heart attack, angioplasty,
or bypass under age 55.
- Having a first-degree female relative who had an angioplasty, heart
attack, or bypass under age 65.
Fact summary- Twelve million Americans have coronary artery disease, making it the
leading cause of death in this country.
- More than 90 million adults have cholesterol levels that are higher than
desirable.
- High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor of coronary artery
disease, but one that is also quite modifiable.
- Lowering your cholesterol level by 1 percent lowers your risk for heart
disease by 2 percent.
- For some people, losing excess weight will lower total blood cholesterol levels.
- Egg yolks and organ meats, such as liver, are the foods highest in
cholesterol. (One egg yolk has 213 milligrams of cholesterol.)