Cooperative Living June 2022 - 22

HEALTHY TAKE
What You Need to Know
About Cholesterol
Story Courtesy of Family Features
Stay in control to help prevent heart disease,
heart attack and stroke
U
nderstanding and improving
cholesterol is important for
people of all ages, including
children and teens. Maintaining healthy
cholesterol levels can help keep your
heart healthy and lower your chances of
getting heart disease or having a stroke.
High cholesterol usually has no
symptoms. In fact, about 38% of adults
in the United States are diagnosed
with high cholesterol, according to
the American Heart Association.
UNDERSTAND CHOLESTEROL
A waxy, fat-like substance created
by the liver and consumed from meat,
poultry and dairy products, cholesterol
isn't inherently bad for you. However,
too much cholesterol circulating in the
blood can pose a problem.
The two types of cholesterol are lowdensity
lipoprotein, which is considered
" bad, " and high-density lipoprotein,
which can be thought of as " good "
cholesterol. Too much of the bad kind,
or not enough of the good, increases the
risk of cholesterol slowly building up in
the inner walls of the arteries that feed
the heart and brain.
Cholesterol can
join with other
substances to form a
thick, hard deposit on
the inside of the arteries called plaque.
This can narrow the arteries and make
them less flexible. If a blood clot forms,
it may be more likely to get stuck in
one of these narrowed arteries,
resulting in a heart attack or stroke.
UNDERSTAND RISK
Your body naturally produces all
the bad LDL it needs. An unhealthy
lifestyle can make your body produce
more LDL than required - lack of
physical activity, obesity, eating an
unhealthy diet and smoking or
exposure to tobacco smoke can be
contributors.
In addition to unhealthy habits,
some people inherit genes from their
parents or grandparents that cause
them to have too much cholesterol and
can lead to premature atherosclerotic
heart disease. If you have a family
history of problems related to high
cholesterol, it's important to get your
levels checked.
Physical activity is key
to controlling cholesterol
levels.
●ork with your doctor to develop
a treatment plan that's right for you.
CHECK CHOLESTEROL
Adults age 20 and older should have
their cholesterol and other traditional
risk factors checked every 4 to 6 years,
as long as their risk remains low. After
age 40, your health care professional
will use an equation to calculate your
10-year risk of heart attack or stroke.
People with cardiovascular disease, and
those at elevated risk, may need their
cholesterol and other risk factors assessed
more ft en.
MANAGE CHOLESTEROL
If you have high cholesterol,
understanding your risk for heart disease
and stroke is one of the most important
things you can do, along with taking
steps to lower your cholesterol.
ft en, simply changing certain
behaviors can help bring your numbers
into line. Lower your cholesterol by
eating a heart-healthy diet. While
grocery shopping, look for the American
Heart Association's Heart-Check mark
to help identify foods that can be part
of an overall healthy eating pattern.
Other lifestyle changes include losing
weight, quitting smoking and becoming
more physically active. For some people,
lifestyle changes may prevent or manage
unhealthy cholesterol levels. For others,
medication may also be needed. Work
with your doctor to develop a treatment
plan that's right for you. 
To learn more about managing your
cholesterol, visit heart.org/cholesterol.
20 ● Cooperative Living ●
June 2022
co-opliving.com
PHOTOS COURTESY GETTY IMAGES
http://www.heart.org/cholesterol http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living June 2022

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