Cholesterol:
What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

More people these days are having their cholesterol levels checked, and if need be, taking steps to reduce them to healthy levels. The reasons are obvious: an abnormally high cholesterol level is a leading indicator that a person may be a prime candidate for a heart attack. Cholesterol is produced by the liver, and deposits of it accumulate along coronary arteries. When completely blocked, a heart attack takes place.

What Is An Unacceptable Cholesterol level?

Everybody should get a blood lipid profile. A person with a cholesterol level over 220 has twice the risk of a heart attack than a person in the normal range. The bad news is that two-thirds of males in the U.S. have a cholesterol level of 220 or above.

Sixty-seven percent of the time dangerous cholesterol levels can be reduced by diet alone. For the remainder drugs are available to help reduce unacceptable cholesterol levels. This strategy can be incorporated along with diet modification. Only a physician can prescribe these drugs.

Foods You Should Watch Our For

Cholesterol is a lipid, which is a fat found in foods. This fatty substance, which is needed in limited amounts, is part of all animal fats. These fats are saturated, which means they stay solid at room temperature. It also means their intake should be limited or eliminated by persons with dangerous cholesterol levels

What To Do

If saturated fats can be bad for you, unsaturated fats can be good for you. They are fats that stay liquid at room temperature, and include fish and vegetable oils. Unsaturated fats can actually lower cholesterol levels. This is the reason advertisers are touting the virtues of fish oil to persons seeking to lower their cholesterol count. Persons concerned about their level can thus:

• cut back on processed meats
• cook with vegetable oil
• limit their intake of egg yolks
• use low-fat dairy products