September is National Cholesterol Education Month!

September is National Cholesterol Education Month!

Join us at the ShopRite of Timonium on Tuesday, September 17th between 10am and 2pm for a FREE Cholesterol Screening!

What is cholesterol?  Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like, waxy substance normally found in the bloodstream and your body’s cells. Cholesterol is important to a number of bodily functions, but too much cholesterol in the blood can put you at major risk for coronary heart disease, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

What determines my cholesterol? In addition to your diet, heredity, weight, physical activity, age, sex, alcohol intake and stress, all play a role in determining your cholesterol levels.

Some cholesterol is produced naturally by your body  Your diet choices are responsible for the rest. Foods that contain saturated fat and trans fat are the main culprits that impact the cholesterol in your blood system. Surprisingly, these foods raise your cholesterol even higher than the foods that actually contain cholesterol!

Risk factors: What can you do?

You can’t choose your age, gender, or genetics, all of which can increase your risk of heart disease; however, there are lots of other contributors to heart disease that you can control. Below are recommendations to follow from the American Heart Association (AHA) to help lower your total cholesterol, blood pressure, and LDL levels while increasing HDL levels:

• If you smoke, stop.
• Eat healthy foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sugar, and sodium.
• Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, most days.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Recognize and treat diabetes.
• Don’t consume too much alcohol.
• Have your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked regularly. Take the necessary steps to reduce both if the numbers are too high.

What does “good” and “bad” cholesterol mean?

Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is known as the “bad” cholesterol. A good way to remember this is that you want LDL to be as “low” as possible.  Current guidelines state it should be below 100. 

High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is known as the “good” cholesterol. A good way to remember this is that you want your HDL to be as “high” as possible.  Current guidelines state that it should be above 60, which studies have shown is effective in preventing heart disease.

Know your Numbers!

An important step in preventing or managing heart disease is to “know your numbers.”

Below, you will find guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA). 

Total (or Serum) Cholesterol Level

Less than 200mg/dL                Desirable

200-239mg/dL                         Borderline-High Risk

240mg/dL and over                 High Risk

HDL (Good) and LDL (Bad) Cholesterol Levels

With HDL (good) cholesterol, higher levels are better. Low HDL cholesterol (less than 40 mg/dL for men, less than 50 mg/dL for women) puts you at higher risk for heart disease

The AHA considers LDL cholesterol levels of less than 100mg/dL as optimal and says the lower your LDL cholesterol, the lower your risk of heart disease. Many experts believe LDL cholesterol is a better indicator of health risk than total cholesterol.

So, join us at the ShopRite of Timonium on Tuesday, September 17th between 10am and 2pm for a FREE Cholesterol Screening!

Any questions or concerns please contact Nicole at 410-560-7071 or Nicole.stoklosa@wakefern.com