High cholesterol
What is high cholesterol?
Cholesterol is an essential type of fat that is mainly produced by the liver and is carried in the blood. Your body needs cholesterol to function normally. All cells in the body need cholesterol, including cells in the brain, nerves, skin, muscles and heart. It is also needed to produce some hormones and for many other functions.
The body generally makes all the cholesterol it needs. Only about 20% of the cholesterol in your body comes from your diet. The remaining 80% is produced by the liver. While some dietary cholesterol is excreted via the liver, eating too much saturated fat can lead to excess cholesterol in the blood stream.
Could I have high cholesterol?
1 in 2 Australians over 25 have high cholesterol.
That's right. High cholesterol affects 50% of Australians over 25, and even if you feel okay you can still have high cholesterol.
If left untreated high cholesterol can lead to cardiovascular disease.
Cardiovascular disease, or heart disease as it is sometimes known, is the leading cause of sudden death in Australia.
High levels of LDL-cholesterol in your blood can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack or stroke.
Who should talk to their doctor about having a cholesterol test?
High cholesterol can affect anyone of us, even those who are relatively young and look and feel fit. So it's not a bad idea to talk to your doctor about cholesterol as part of your regular check-up. It is recommended that people over 20 years of age should have their cholesterol levels checked at least once every five years. However, if any of the following apply to you, it's particularly important to talk to your doctor about a blood cholesterol test:
- Are you a smoker?
- Exercise less than 15 minutes weekly?
- Eat less than 1 serve of fruit daily?
- Eat less than 3 serves of vegetables daily?
- Standard alcoholic drinks daily: more than 4 (male) or more than 2 (female)?
- High blood pressure (BP)?
- Overweight?
- Diagnosed with diabetes?
- Family history of heart disease or diabetes?
- High cholesterol levels?
REMEMBER, if you are in any doubt at all about whether cholesterol is an issue for you, make sure you talk to your doctor.
Can high cholesterol be treated?
If you've been told your cholesterol is too high, you will need to make a number of changes to your lifestyle so that you can reach a safe cholesterol level. Your doctor will help you figure out your target level and, once this level has been reached, you'll need to continue with your healthy lifestyle so that it doesn't go up again.
Sometimes, changes to your lifestyle - especially diet and exercise - are enough to bring your cholesterol down to the target level. You should also quit smoking and reduce the amount of alcohol you drink.
If you need more help, your doctor will give you medication to lower your cholesterol. It is important that you take this regularly, and combine it with lifestyle changes for healthier living.
Click here for more information and resources regarding high cholesterol.