If you are like most people, you know that it is important to keep your cholesterol in the healthy range. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that means less than 100 mg / dL of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), more than 60 mg / dL high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and less than 150 mg / dL triglycerides.
But beyond just knowing if your cholesterol is too high or not, understanding the role that cholesterol plays in promoting and preventing disease can keep you healthy, he says. Deirdre Mattina, MD, a gynecologist at Cleveland Clinic. “Knowing more about your cholesterol will help you have a more informed conversation with your doctor. This can help your care team identify your risk of heart disease early and come up with a treatment plan that will help you live longer with a lot of energy, ”she says.
So what should you know about cholesterol to stop heart disease, stroke, and more? Read on.
1. Total cholesterol is only part of the picture.
When you get your blood work results back, there is a good chance that you will be aiming for your total cholesterol, coming into that same number. However, Dr. Mattina says that what is more important than total cholesterol is understanding each of the different components that make up that score. “You have to break down the different types of cholesterol to get a complete picture,” says Dr. Mattina. A routine cholesterol test measures the following:
- LDL: This is thought to be “bad” cholesterol because it leads to plaque buildup in your arteries and increases your risk for heart attack and stroke. (The more you lift, the harder and narrower your artery becomes and the harder it is for blood to flow freely to the heart and back.) For the general population, less than 100 is ideal, and a score above 160 is considered high. However, if you’ve already been diagnosed with heart disease, you’ll want your LDL to be below 70 – and possibly even lower. Randal Thomas, MD, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.
- HDL: This is thought to be “good” cholesterol because carrying LDL cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it is broken down and excreted from the body. For men, the range is suitable between 40 and 100 HDL; for women, 50 to 100 is ideal, says Dr Thomas
- Triglycerides: This is a type of fat in the blood that your body uses for energy. For most people, a triglyceride score above 150 is estimated to be high, says Dr. Thomas, and over 1,000 is a dangerous risk. The combo of high triglycerides with “good” low HDL cholesterol or high “bad” LDL cholesterol can increase your risk for heart attack and stroke.
To get a more accurate picture of how your cholesterol may be putting you at risk for heart disease, add all three of these cholesterol components and then subtract your HDL number. “Sin the number tells us how many grains of cholesterol are circulating that put you at risk, ”says Dr Mattina. (Per the CDC Guidelines, you will want this number to be 250 mg / dL or lower.)
2. Even if you have normal cholesterol levels, you can get a heart attack.
For women, in particular, the new thinking it’s not just cholesterol grains that carry the risk of heart disease, but how that cholesterol carries you, says Dr. Mattina. “Many people with normal cholesterol levels have a heart attack, which is likely because their cholesterol is behaving in a fluid way,” she says.
The best way to tell if inflammatory cholesterol grains are in your blood is to request a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) test, says Dr. Mattina. “This will not be checked in a normal cholesterol panel and is not specific to heart disease, but will alert your doctor to total inflammation in your body,” which will help guide your treatment plan. (CRP is a byproduct of inflammation, and experts agree that it is as good at predicting heart disease as LDL measurement.)
If your C-reactive protein is elevated, your doctor may also prescribe a coronary calcium score to better understand your risk of heart disease. That test involves a low-dose radiation scan of the heart to look for solid cholesterol in the arteries, says Dr. Mattina. “If you have a high calcium score, it tells us that there is some hard cholesterol in the arteries around the heart,” she says. “That’s when we want to consider cholesterol-lowering medication as a treatment option to prevent heart attack.”
3. Eating well can improve your cholesterol score, but you may still need to meds.
There is no doubt that some unhealthy habits cause an increase in your triglycerides and LDL cholesterol and cause your HDL levels to plummet. According to the American Heart Association, eating a diet high in saturated fat and simple carbohydrates, smoking, not getting enough physical exercise, and being obese or obese has been shown to adversely affect your cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease . On the flip side, improving your diet by choosing healthier fats and increasing your intake of fiber, getting more exercise, and quitting smoking can be a great way to go. to monitor your cholesterol.
That said, even if you make the right choices in an effort to improve your cholesterol profile, medication may still be needed – and it’s important to understand that you may not be able to improve your cholesterol by lifestyle measures only, says Dr. Mattina. “This is especially true if you have had a heart attack when we need to lower your LDL cholesterol significantly,” she says. “However, if you make significant changes in your habits, you can affect the total dose or level of cholesterol medication you take to maintain it.”
4. Prevention cardiologists can help you maintain your cholesterol and heart health.
Considering heart disease it is the No. 1 killer in this country, majority we live with high cholesterol, says Dr Mattina – and the longer cholesterol stays in the bloodstream, the more likely it is to accumulate in your blood vessels and cause plaque. picking up and swelling. Moreover, there is very little data that shows we can reverse the damage done by high “bad” cholesterol levels, she said. “For the most part, the best thing we can do is stabilize cholesterol and prevent it from getting worse,” says Dr. Mattina. “It simply came to our notice then. The sooner you start, the better. ”
If you have a relative who had a heart attack in their 30s or 40s, your doctor may recommend seeing a cardiologist when you are in your 20s, says Dr. Mattina. “I also like to see women in their infancy regardless of their family history, as we see the risk of heart disease rise as women experience things like heart disease. gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia during pregnancy. ” Harmful illnesses that trigger chronic inflammation, such as autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, can put you at greater risk for heart disease – even if your cholesterol is not high, adds Dr. Mattina. Ask your doctor what she thinks is right for you, with your health history.
If you want to be proactive, make an appointment with a protective cardiologist no matter what age you are or what your risk factors are, says Dr. Mattina. “This type of expert will be able to assess your cholesterol and overall risk for heart disease and help you develop a plan for long-term health,” she says. “When it comes to heart disease, you better identify your risk and deal with it if necessary. ”
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