1. Bad Cholesterol Can Break Your Heart
A high level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), or bad cholesterol, is one of four major risk factors for developing coronary heart disease. Too much bad cholesterol in your blood leads to buildup and blockage in the arteries leading to your heart and brain. If your arteries are too narrow, you can suffer chest pain (angina). If an artery blockage is severe and does not allow blood to flow through, you will face an imminent heart attack.
2. Get a Test
To discover your LDL cholesterol level, call your general physician and ask for a cholesterol test. For an accurate bad cholesterol count, you must fast 9 to 12 hours before your test by avoiding all food, medications and beverages. You may drink water. The test itself requires a simple blood test. A lab then analyzes your blood, and you will receive the results in less than a week.
3. Learn About Your Levels
The higher your LDL level, the greater your risk of a heart attack. Cholesterol tests report levels as milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). A healthy cholesterol level is less than 100 mg/dL of bad cholesterol. Levels between 100 and 129 are still in the healthy range. Levels from 130 to 159 are borderline high, levels from 160 to 189 are considered high and if it's 190 or above, your LDL level is extremely serious.
4. Are You At Risk?
People age 20 and older should have their cholesterol tested once every 5 years. However, this is a general guideline only. Your physician will likely require more frequent testing if you fall into one or more high-risk categories. If your total cholesterol is 200 mg/dL or greater, good (HDL or high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is less than 40 mg/dL or bad cholesterol is above 160 mg/dL, you should test more frequently. In addition, males over 45, females over 50 and anyone who has displayed additional risk factors for stroke or coronary heart disease would benefit from more regular testing.
5. Develop Smart Heart Health
If you have a high LDL level, you can lower it dramatically by changing your lifestyle. Try losing weight, exercising and adjusting your diet by drastically cutting down on foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats. Cut out fatty and fried foods, such as french fries, and unhealthy snacks and sweets, such as potato chips and candy, whenever possible. Replace these with lean meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, low-fat dairy products such as yogurt and cottage cheese, fruit and leafy green vegetables. When lifestyle changes aren't enough to lower your bad cholesterol level, your physician may prescribe medication to help reduce it. Changing your lifestyle is the best approach, however, so work to develop lifelong healthy habits.
