How can you measure your Cholesterol?
Simple, all you have to do is go to your local GP, at a hospital appointment or a part of a health examination. It involves a blood test, and requires you to give a blood sample either by using a needle and syringe, or by using a finger prick.Cholesterol is measured in units called millimoles per litre of blood, normally know as 'mmol/litre'. It is seen healthy to have a total cholesterol level under 5 mmol/litre and an LDL level under 3mmol/litre.
Doctors will look at the ratio bewteen total cholesterol and HDL when estimating the risk of person getting coronary heart disease (CHD). A lower rate is
preferred, as this indicates that the level of HDL is high.
Treatment.
The main aim of lowering cholesterol is to reduce the risk of heart disease. The type of treatment depends on the overall risk of heart disease.There are two ways to treat high cholesterol. The first is with simple lifestyle changes including changing diet, managing weight, increasing exercise, and quitting smoking. The second is to combine lifestyle changes with cholesterol-lowering medicines.
Diet.
Healthy eating can reduce cholesterol. Diet should be low in saturated fats in particular, and low in fat overall. Biscuits, cakes, pastries, red meat, hard cheese, butter and foods containing coconut or palm oil all tend to be high in saturated fats.Large amounts of cholesterol are found in a few foods, including eggs and offal such as liver and kidneys. Although dietary cholesterol does not usually contribute much to blood cholesterol, it is still advisable to limit these foods to three servings a week if you have high cholesterol. It's also important to eat plenty of fibre, especially soluble fibre, which is thought to lower cholesterol. It's found in fruits and vegetables, beans and oats. Aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day.
Medicines.
Cholesterol lowering medicines are considered for people who already have CHD, or are at high risk of getting it because they have other risk factors. The main group of medicines for lowering cholesterol are statins. Examples include simvastatin (Zocor) and atorvastatin (Lipitor). They work by reducing the production of cholesterol in the liver. Occasionally these drugs have side-effects such as indigestion and muscle pains. Other types of drugs to reduce cholesterol are called fibrates and nicotinic acids, but these are generally less effective or have more side-effects.Reducing the risk of heart disease.
A healthy lifestyle, exercising on most days, eating a low fat diet, not smoking and drinking alcohol within the recommended limits will help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.(published with permission in writing from:http://www.fireservice.co.uk)
