 Empower Yourself!
Learn Your Cholesterol
Number
National Institutes of Health
National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute
And Office of Research on Minority Health
Contents
- Should you be concerned about
your blood cholesterol number?
- What is blood cholesterol?
- What are good and bad
cholesterol?
- Have your blood cholesterol
checked.
- Take action to keep your
cholesterol number low. Follow these steps:
Should you be concerned about
your blood cholesterol number?
YES! High blood cholesterol increases your
chances for coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease is a disease of the
blood vessels of the heart that causes a heart attack. It is the number one
killer among African Americans. You can take steps to protect your heart! Read
this brochure. Improve your cholesterol level or keep it at the right level to
help reduce your risk of getting heart disease.
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What is blood cholesterol?
Your body makes all the cholesterol you need. Eating
foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol can raise your blood cholesterol
level. The higher your blood cholesterol level, the greater your risk for heart
disease. Too much cholesterol can lead to clogged arteries. You are then at
risk for having a heart attack, a stroke, or poor circulation.
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What are good and bad
cholesterol?
HDL "good cholesterol" helps clean fat and
cholesterol from arteries, carrying it to the liver for removal from the body.
LDL "bad cholesterol" deposits cholesterol in your arteries and causes
them to become clogged.
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Have your blood cholesterol
checked.
All adults age 20 and older need to have their blood
cholesterol checked at least once every 5 years. Ask your doctor to do a simple
test to measure how much HDL and total cholesterol is in your blood.
|
Here's what your numbers
mean. |
|
|
| Total blood cholesterol
|
|
|
| Desirable: |
Less than 200 mg/ dL. |
Good for you! Try to keep it below this number.
|
| Borderline: |
200-239 mg/ dL. |
Be on the alert! You are at risk for a heart
attack. You need to make changes in your lifestyle. |
| High: |
240 mg/ dL or higher. |
Danger zone! You have a higher risk for a heart
attack. Seek help from your doctor to lower your cholesterol level. |
| HDL-cholesterol |
35 mg/ dL or higher. |
Being physically active can help raise your HDL.
|
If the total blood cholesterol number is higher than
200, or if your HDL is lower than 35, your doctor may order blood tests to
check your LDL cholesterol level. The test will let you know if you need
treatment. Take charge and work with your health provider to lower your risk.
|
Here's what your number means.
|
|
| LDL cholesterol
|
|
| Desirable: |
Less than 130 mg/ dL |
| Borderline: |
130-159 mg/ dL |
| High: |
160 mg/ dL or more |
|
Take good care of
yourself! |
| My cholesterol levels: |
Recommended goal: |
| Total |
________ |
Total |
________ |
| HDL |
________ |
HDL |
________ |
| LDL |
________ |
LDL |
________ |
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Take action to keep your
cholesterol number low. Follow these steps:
1. Eat foods low in saturated fat and
cholesterol.
MEATS, POULTRY, AND FISH |
|
| Instead of: |
Try: |
| High-fat meats |
Lean meats, poultry without skin, fish
Bean
and grain dishes |
| Fatback and bacon |
Skinless chicken or turkey thighs |
| |
|
CURED MEATS |
|
| Instead of: |
Try: |
| Pork bacon |
Turkey bacon, lean ham, Canadian bacon (These
choices may be high in sodium. Read the label.) |
| Pork sausage, ground beef, and pork |
Ground skinless turkey breast |
| |
|
DAIRY PRODUCTS |
|
| Instead of: |
Try: |
| Whole milk |
Skim (nonfat) or 1 percent milk |
| Whole milk cheeses |
Low fat or part skim milk cheeses |
| Cream, evaporated milk |
Evaporated skim milk |
| Sour cream |
Low fat yogurt |
| |
|
FATS, SPREADS, AND
DRESSINGS |
|
| Instead of: |
Try: |
| Lard, butter, shortening |
Small amounts of vegetable oil |
| Regular mayonnaise, regular salad dressing |
Mustard and nonfat or low fat types of salad
dressing, yogurt, or mayonnaise |
2. Keep moving.
Do 30 minutes or more of physical activity most days
of the week. You can do 10-minute sessions at different times during the day.
Choose activities you enjoy. For example:
| walking |
jogging |
| gardening |
bike riding |
| climbing stairs |
playing sports |
3. Maintain a healthy weight.
Take steps to lose weight if you are overweight. Try
losing weight slowly.
- Cut back on foods high in fat and calories. Use the
food label to choose foods lower in fat and calories.
- Eat smaller portions.
- Eat fruits and vegetables at meals and for snacks.
- Bake, broil, roast, stew, or microwave your food
instead of frying.
- Stay active every day.
Check the steps you will take for a healthy
heart.
- Get my blood cholesterol level checked.
- Talk to my doctor about what my numbers mean.
- Bake chicken without the skin instead of frying it.
- Eat more fruits, vegetables, breads, and cereals.
- Eat smaller portions.
- Try to take a 10-minute walk in the morning, at
lunch, and after work.
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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service National Institutes of Health
National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute
NIH Publication No. 97-4063
September 1997
|
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