Key to your heart may be in your cholesterol

By Hollie W. Best
Gannett News Service

Cholesterol has a lot to do with your chances of getting heart disease. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. The National Cholesterol Education Program states that more than 1 million Americans have heart attacks and about half a million people die each year from heart disease. Having your cholesterol checked to determine the range of where the cholesterol level falls is an important step to better health.

The program recommends that adults over age 20 get a cholesterol test at least once every five years. The preferred test is a lipoprotein profile. This is a fasting blood test (where you fast for nine to 12 hours before the test is done) to check cholesterol levels (measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood, or mg/dL), including: total blood cholesterol level; LDL level (bad cholesterol); HDL level (good cholesterol) and triglyceride level.

Various studies sponsored by the United States government established that high blood cholesterol level is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD is uncommon at total cholesterol levels below 150 mg/dL. A direct link between high blood cholesterol and CHD has been confirmed by the 1984 Lipid Research Clinics-Coronary Primary Prevention Trial, which showed that lowering total and LDL cholesterol levels significantly reduces CHD.

Having cholesterol checked to determine the range of where the cholesterol level falls is an important step to better health. A good rule to follow is that any total cholesterol reading below 200 is good and anything over 240 indicates that you are at risk for developing coronary disease. In addition, your LDL cholesterol should measure below 130 and your HDL cholesterol should range between 35 and 40. When the HDL, or good cholesterol, reaches 60 or higher, you reduce your chance of heart attack.

Triglyceride is the most common type of fat in the body. Many people who have heart disease or diabetes have high triglyceride levels. Normal triglyceride levels vary by age and sex. A high triglyceride level combined with low HDL cholesterol or high LDL cholesterol seems to speed up atherosclerosis (the buildup of fatty deposits in artery walls). Atherosclerosis increases the risk for heart attack and stroke.

The problem of high blood cholesterol isn't limited to adults. Millions of children also have elevated levels and may be at higher risk of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease later in life. That's why the American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults and children ages 2 and up eat a diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol.

Your cholesterol level by itself will not tell you if you are at risk of heart disease. Look at the other factors and ratios: especially HDL, triglycerides and the cholesterol to HDL ratio.

Hollie W. Best is a registered dietitian.