Why Cholesterol Matters for Women

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Ah, cholesterol and triglycerides. We hear about them all the time. Even foods that might seem healthy on the surface, similar fruit-filled yogurt or bran muffins, tin contribute to aberrant levels if they contain too much saturated fat or refined saccharide, says Erin Michos, Grand.D., associate director of preventive cardiology at the Ciccarone Eye for the Prevention of Eye Disease.

cholesterol, HDL and LDL in block letters

What's more, many women are at risk for high cholesterol and don't realize it. "Approximately 45 percentage of women over the age of 20 have a total cholesterol of 200 mg/dl and above, which is considered elevated — but a survey by the American Middle Clan plant that 76 percentage of women say they don't even know what their cholesterol values are," Michos says.

Scarier still: Triglycerides, a blazon of claret fat typically measured alongside cholesterol, are even more risky in women compared with men. This is a problem because women'south cholesterol levels can fluctuate quite a fleck after menopause and tend to increase with age, putting us at greater risk of heart disease and stroke. Knowing your cholesterol numbers and how to command them is a big footstep toward staying healthy.

Agreement the Highs and Lows of Cholesterol

Y'all know that also much is dangerous. Simply what is cholesterol, anyhow? Where does it come from? And is it all bad?

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is found in every cell in the body. It's either made by the trunk or absorbed from nutrient. Your body needs cholesterol to make important steroid hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and vitamin D. It'due south besides used to brand bile acids in the liver; these blot fat during digestion.

So some cholesterol is necessary — but bad cholesterol is something y'all can do without. Backlog bad cholesterol in the bloodstream can eolith into the body'due south arteries. These deposits are called plaques and event in atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. This is the major cause of heart attacks, strokes and other vascular bug.

Your total cholesterol level is a measure of the total amount of cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream, which includes several components:

  • LDL cholesterol: LDL stands for "low-density lipoprotein." This is known as the "bad" cholesterol, which straight contributes to plaque buildup in the arteries. Very low density lipoprotein, or VLDL cholesterol, is some other blazon, which is a forerunner to LDL.
  • Total cholesterol is VLDL cholesterol plus LDL cholesterol plus HDL cholesterol.
  • HDL cholesterol: HDL stands for "high-density lipoprotein." Experts call back at optimal levels (around 50 mg/dl) it might help the torso become rid of LDL cholesterol.

So bits of this stuff circulate through your system, and here's what happens: The bad parts – the LDL particles – like to stick to the lining of your arteries, like soap scum in pipes. Every bit it sticks there, information technology generates an inflammatory response and your body starts converting information technology into plaque. Plaque in your claret vessels makes them stiffer and narrower, restricting blood period to vital organs such as your encephalon and center muscle, leading to loftier claret pressure. Additionally, chunks can break off and cause a heart attack or a stroke.

And guess what? This buildup can showtime as early every bit your 20s.

What to Know About Triglycerides

In addition to cholesterol, yous might hear nearly your triglycerides, some other kind of fat found in the bloodstream. Women should pay item attention to this. "A high level of triglycerides seems to predict an fifty-fifty greater adventure for heart disease in women compared with men," says Michos.

When you accept in more calories than you need, your torso converts the actress calories into triglycerides, which are and then stored in fat cells. Triglycerides are used by the trunk for energy, merely people with excess triglycerides have higher hazard of medical problems, including cardiovascular affliction. Drinking a lot of alcohol and eating foods containing simple carbohydrates (sugary and starchy foods), saturated fats and trans fats contributes to high triglycerides. High levels may also be caused by health conditions such as diabetes, an underactive thyroid, obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome or kidney illness.

Triglycerides too circulate in the bloodstream on particles that may contribute to plaque formation. Many people with high triglycerides have other risk factors for atherosclerosis, including high LDL levels or depression HDL levels, or aberrant blood sugar (glucose) levels. Genetic studies have besides shown some association betwixt triglycerides and cardiovascular disease.

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Loftier Cholesterol: Prevention, Treatment and Research

Cholesterol is a natural component in everyone's blood. However, when y'all have too much of this fatty substance, information technology'south considered hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia or loftier blood cholesterol—a major risk gene for centre attack, heart disease and stroke. Nearly 71 one thousand thousand Americans have high cholesterol.

What's your cholesterol level, anyway?

A standard lipid claret test usually measures the concentration of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides levels. The LDL-cholesterol level is typically estimated from these numbers using a well-established formula that has been more recently revised and improved by researchers at Johns Hopkins.

And so what are your target numbers? According to Michos, an ideal LDL cholesterol level should exist less than 70 mg/dl, and a adult female's HDL cholesterol level ideally should be close to l mg/dl. Triglycerides should be less than 150 mg/dl. As Michos notes, total cholesterol levels well below 200 mg/dl are best.

Why Cholesterol Affects Women Differently

In full general, women accept college levels of HDL cholesterol than men because the female person sex hormone estrogen seems to boost this practiced cholesterol. But, like then much else, everything changes at menopause. At this point, many women experience a change in their cholesterol levels — full and LDL cholesterol rise and HDL cholesterol falls. This is why women who had favorable cholesterol values during their childbearing years might end upwardly with elevated cholesterol subsequently in life. Of course, genetics and lifestyle factors tin can play big roles, also.

How to Lower Your Cholesterol

If you lot've been told that you lot take high cholesterol — or you but want to prevent it — what can you lot exercise?

There are several ways to manage it, including:

Medication: Depending on your overall cardiovascular disease take a chance, y'all might be treated with a cholesterol-lowering medication, such as a statin. The decision to use a statin is based on a adult female's overall risk for centre attack and stroke including all these factors and the LDL cholesterol value.

If you already have vascular affliction or evidence of atherosclerosis, or if you are at high risk for cardiovascular disease, a statin for prevention is strongly recommended considering this treats the plaque in the arteries, and lowers LDL cholesterol, Michos says.

Diet and lifestyle: "Diet and lifestyle are very important to help maintain salubrious cholesterol levels. Even for women who are recommended to take cholesterol-lowering medications, a healthy lifestyle helps these drugs work amend," says Michos.

Here'due south how to maintain a lifestyle that promotes healthy cholesterol levels:

  • Maintain a healthy body weight
  • Don't smoke.
  • Practice for at to the lowest degree thirty minutes five or more days per week.
  • Swallow a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean protein and high amounts of soluble fiber such equally beans and oats, which can reduce LDL.
  • Avoid carbohydrate-sweetened drinks and fruit juices — opt for h2o and unsweetened tea instead — and minimize your intake of other simple carbohydrates like baked goods and candy.
  • Drink booze in moderation, peculiarly if you have elevated triglycerides.
  • Consider the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables, grainy breads and fish. Use olive oil (instead of butter) and spices (instead of salt).
  • Consume monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — such every bit those found in olive oil, nuts and fatty fish like salmon. They tin can actually have a positive consequence on cholesterol, Michos says, by reducing the amount of LDL in the claret and reducing inflammation in the arteries, especially when they replace saturated fats in the diet.

Add these to your shopping listing:

  • Fatty fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines and albacore tuna
  • Nuts, including walnuts, pecans, almonds and hazelnuts
  • Olive oil to drizzle lightly over your salads and vegetables

While nobody wants to have high cholesterol, there are plenty of ways to proceed it in bank check. "With regular checkups and attention to what you eat, it's possible to manage your cholesterol and blood fats to keep your middle healthy," says Michos.

A group of smiling adults stretch before exercising.

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