| Cholesterol Education Month:
Know Your Numbers
Cholesterol Plays an Important Role in
Heart Disease, Stroke
Tri-City Voice, September 12, 2006
Cholesterol isn’t just a number. It can
be a predictor of your overall cardiac
health. In and of itself, cholesterol is
merely a substance manufactured by the
liver and other organs – and also
consumed when you eat foods containing
animal fat – that is present in all
parts of the body. But when looked at in
relation to your heart, elevated
cholesterol levels play a significant
role.
September, recognized as National
Cholesterol Education Month by the
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
(NHLBI), is a good time to take a closer
look at your cholesterol levels, which
play a major role in your risk for heart
disease and stroke. The theme for this
year’s observance is: "Know your
cholesterol numbers—Know your risk—Give
yourself some TLC." Dr. Steven Curran,
medical director of Washington
Clinic/Newark and Washington Clinic/Warm
Springs, offers a closer examination of
cholesterol and its effects on the body.
"The majority of cholesterol in our
bloodstream is actually made by the
liver, but the types of 'raw material'
we give the liver, for example, fat and
cholesterol in foods, can greatly
influence blood levels of cholesterol,"
Dr. Curran says.
Many times, we see cholesterol presented
as a single number. According to the
American Heart Association, a desirable
cholesterol level is less than 200 mg/dL;
borderline high risk is between 200 and
239 mg/dL; and high risk is 240 mg/dL
and above. But using this number alone
to assess health risks is overly
simplistic, according to Dr. Curran.
Cholesterol is actually made up of three
different components – HDL, or high
density lipoprotein, LDL, or low density
lipoprotein, and triglycerides.
"The individual components of
cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides,
are much better indicators of disease
risk than total cholesterol," says Dr.
Curran. "For example, your total
cholesterol may be normal but when you
have high LDL and low HDL components,
your cardiac risk may still be high; or
conversely, high total cholesterol may
not be a problem in someone with a high
HDL 'good’ cholesterol level."
Because the high density lipoproteins
are responsible for moving cholesterol
from the tissues of the body to the
liver where it can be disposed of in the
body’s bile, HDL cholesterol is often
referred to as the "good" cholesterol.
Likewise, low density lipoprotein is
responsible for transportation of
cholesterol from the liver to different
body tissues, and is therefore
considered the "bad" cholesterol.
So who has to worry about their
cholesterol levels? Everyone, according
to Dr. Curran, because high cholesterol
increases your risk for both heart
disease and stroke, which kill more
people than all other diseases combined.
"High cholesterol levels show up in the
young, old and in-between," he explains.
"Cholesterol, like hypertension, is a
'silent-killer,' usually affecting those
who have no symptoms, no idea that they
have a problem."
Finding out what your cholesterol levels
are is as simple as a routine blood test
offered at both Washington Clinic/Newark
and Washington Clinic/Warm Springs, as
well as Nakamura Clinic, Union City, all
part of the Washington Hospital
Healthcare System.
If you are diagnosed with high
cholesterol, Dr. Curran recommends
following up with your physician to
assess your overall risk, including
blood pressure, blood sugar, whether you
smoke, as well as your family history.
He also suggests starting on a good diet
and exercise plan, under the supervision
of a health care professional.
Like everything else, with cholesterol
there are some things you can control
and others you can’t. Both heredity and
diet and exercise play major roles in
your risk for high cholesterol. Diet and
exercise you can take steps to change;
heredity is as simple as what your
genetic code contains.
"In many people, diet and exercise can
have a huge impact in lowering their bad
cholesterol and raising the good;
unfortunately, sometimes even the best
lifestyle changes may have limited
impact if the genetic influence is too
strong," Dr. Curran says. "Healthy
lifestyle changes will help the heart
and the rest of the body in other ways
even if they are not enough to fix the
cholesterol problem."
If heredity does play a major role in
elevated cholesterol levels and diet and
exercise have not lowered your levels
enough, certain types of prescribed
medications may be able to help, Dr.
Curran notes.
"There are medications available to help
lower cholesterol," he says. "“But
medication should be looked at as a long
term project and not a quick fix. The
decision to start medication usually
comes after weighing all the risks and
benefits and looking carefully at the
overall cardiac risk profile – that is,
does the patient also have hypertension
or diabetes?"
In the end, what does Dr. Curran try to
drive home with his own patients when it
comes to cholesterol?
"The good news is cholesterol can be
treated," he says. "When identified
early and healthy changes are made, a
person’s risk of heart attack or stroke
can be drastically reduced." To make an
appointment with a physician at
Washington Clinic/Newark, call (510)
797-7535. To make an appointment at
Washington Clinic/Warm Springs, call
(510) 651-2371 or (408) 946-6443. To
make an appointment at Nakamura Clinic,
Union City, call (510) 487-6000. To
learn more about Washington Hospital
Clinics, visit
www.whhs.com, click on "Our
Facilities" and select "Washington
Hospital Clinics" from the drop-down
menu. For more information about other
programs and services, visit the Web
site and click on "Services & Programs." |
