High cholesterol levels have long been viewed as a major cardiac risk factor. Dr. Robert Levy, former director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, points to elevated cholesterol as “the chief factor for heart attack.” But just as higher cholesterol levels increase the risk for heart attack, decreased levels forecast a reduction in risk.The amount of cholesterol in the blood is determined by a blood test and is expressed as the number of milligrams (mg) of cholesterol in one deciliter (dl) of blood. For example, a person with 210 milligrams of cholesterol in a deciliter of blood has a cholesterol level of 210 mg/dl, popularly expressed as a cholesterol “count” of 210. Initial cholesterol readings should not be etched in stone. Many health professionals now recommend a second test within one to eight weeks of the first. If the readings are within 30 points of each other, use the average of the two values; otherwise, a third test should be performed and the average of all three tests used.
Exercise, stress, dieting, body weight change, medications and the phases of a woman’s menstrual cycle can affect total cholesterol readings. Morning levels are usually higher than those later in the day. Smoking before a test can cause higher readings, as can failure to fast for 12 hours beforehand. Lying down for a test can cause lower readings, while sitting up tends to produce higher ones.
The National Cholesterol Education Program, in collaboration with the American Heart Association and a number of other medical authorities, has issued the following guidelines for assessing total cholesterol levels:
Total Cholesterol Risk Classification
Below 200 Desirable
200 to 239 Borderline high
240 and above High
Total cholesterol level somewhere around 200, is considered “normal” (think “average”) by today’s standards. But that’s not the best level for cardiac health. The optimal, or ideal, level is actually around 150 and below, particularly for heart patients.
High cholesterol levels have long been viewed as a major cardiac risk factor. Dr. Robert Levy, former director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, points to elevated cholesterol as “the chief factor for heart attack.” But just as higher cholesterol levels increase the risk for heart attack, decreased levels forecast a reduction in risk.
What is your cholesterol IQ?
1. You should be concerned about your child’s blood cholesterol levels if:
A. you have agina
B. your great aunt has high cholesterol
C. your brother has a heart-valve defect
D. there is no need to be concerned abouat children’s cholesterol levels
2. To reduce high blood cholesterol, you should:
A. follow a diet low in saturated fat and low in cholesterol
B. be more physically active
C. lose weight if overweight
D. all of the above
3. which food does not have alot of saturated fat?
A. cocnut oil
B. whole milk
C. chicken, with skin
D. whole wheat bread
4. which food does not have a lot of cholesterol?
A. steak
B. banana
C. shrimp
D. butter
5. your LDL cholesterol goal should be
A. less than 100 mg/dl
B. less than 200 mg/dl
C. less than 300 mg/dl it
D. depends on your heart health
6. the best type of fat to eat is:
A. polyunsaturated monounsaturated
B. unsaturated
C. all of the above
D. depends on your heart health
1A. Children from families in which a parent or grandparent has developed heart disease (which includes a heart attack or the chest pain of agina) at an early age (before age 55 for males and 65 for females) should have their cholesterol levels checked.
2D. Following a diet low in saturated fat and low in cholesterol, being more physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, taking cholesterol lowering medication, if prescribed, all are important in lowering your blood cholesterol and reduce your chance of heart attack or other heart disease.
3D. The other choices are all high in saturated fat. Foods high in saturated fat include foods from animals such as fatty cuts of meat, poultry with skin, whole-milk dairy products, and lard. Even though they are vegetable products, tropical oils like coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils are also high in saturated fat
.4B. Dietary cholesterol can also raise your blood cholesterol level, though usually not as much as saturated fat. So it is important to choose foods low in dietary cholesterol and low in saturated fat. 5D. It depends on your heart health. For the general population, a level of LDL-cholesterol below 130 mg/dl is desirable. But if you already have heart disease, your goal is lower — less than 100 mg/dl. This is because patients with heart disease, even if they have low cholesterol levels are more likely to have a heart attack or other heart complications.
6D. Your body needs fat for a variety of functions: so while not all dietary fat is bad,
some fats are better than others. Look for fats and oils that are unsaturated: polyunsaturated (safflower, sunflower, corn, and soybean oils) or monounsaturated (olive and canola oils). However, while unsaturated fats help lower blood cholesterol when they are subsituted for saturated fat they still are a rich source of calories and need to be limited
MORINGA PLANT 