Monthly Health Articles Archive

Cholesterol

Most people know that having high cholesterol is a bad thing. Some people even might know their cholesterol numbers. Even so, many people don’t realize why they should care about their cholesterol or what they can do to improve it.

Normal cholesterol is under 200 mg/dl. If your cholesterol is higher than this, you are at risk for coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke. This occurs because high cholesterol levels can lead to atherosclerosis, which is a fatty, plaque build up in your artery wall. The blockage can prevent blood from flowing normally in your heart muscle and cause a heart attack. If atherosclerosis happens in the arteries leading to your brain, it can result in a stroke. According to the American Heart Association, coronary heart disease caused about 479,300 deaths in 2003. At least 13.2 million people alive today have a history of heart attack, chest pain or both.

There are medications on the market to help combat high cholesterol, but first it’s important to analyze your lifestyle habits.

• Are you a smoker?
• Does your diet contain a lot of saturated fat or trans fat?
• How much physical activity do you get per day?
• All of these factors can affect your cholesterol levels.

Heart-healthy eating is an important part of fighting high cholesterol. Getting plenty of fruits and vegetables – especially this time of year when garden-fresh produce is plentiful – will provide the nutrients you need for very few calories. Whole grain breads, cereals and pasta contain fiber that can help lower your blood cholesterol and help you feel full, which can help you manage your weight. Eating fish twice a week is another recommended tip for heart-healthy meals. Recent research shows that eating certain fish containing omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon, trout, and herring) may help lower your risk of coronary artery disease.

Regular exercise is a key component in staying healthy. Do your best to get in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week. Better yet, aim for 30 minutes of activity every day. Walking the dog, riding your bike, or doing physical work around the yard or the house are all options for exercise. Do what form of exercise you enjoy most to help you maintain your weight, keep off the weight you’ve lost and help you reach physical and cardiovascular fitness. If 30 minutes at one time isn’t possible, you can add up 10-minute sessions throughout the day.

Unlike other health problems, high cholesterol doesn’t come with signs or symptoms to let you know that something is wrong. That’s why it’s important to monitor your cholesterol levels. A new program, called KRHC to Go, is now bringing cholesterol screening and other wellness tests to you. Starting in October, KRHC staff will be visiting various communities around Kossuth County for wellness screening days. More information about when and where will be advertised as the dates get closer. If your schedule doesn’t allow for you to come to a local KRHC to Go day, stop by the hospital’s Walk in Wellness lab from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Screenings include:

• hematology wellness,
• lipid and glucose,
• screens for diabetes,
• kidney and liver function,
• nutritional status,
• osteoporosis,
• thyroid,
• prostate
• and many others.

Some tests require a 12 hour fast before the screening. After figuring out where your cholesterol level and other wellness test results, then you can make a plan for what to do about it. For more information about cholesterol or other wellness screenings, call Kossuth Regional Health Center at 515.295.2451.