Tuesday, September 07, 1999
Web site helps wage war on cholesterol
BY MELISSA MARTINEZ
El Paso Times
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health has declared war on cholesterol this month.
The institute declared September as National Cholesterol Education Month. As part of an education campaign, the institute launched an Interactive Web site (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov), which provides information on controlling cholesterol.
The site also helps users calculate their daily allowance of saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, calories, and sodium, based on health cholesterol levels.
“The benefits for all Americans from controlling their cholesterol are great,” said Dr. James Cleeman, coordinator of the National Cholesterol Education Program. “And the steps needed to take control are straightforward.”
High cholesterol is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, the leading killer of Americans, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. To date, cholesterol buildup is the most common cause of heart disease.
And the belief that anyone might be immune is false. One out of two men and one out of every three women 40 and younger will develop coronary heart disease at some time in their lives, the institute says.
Risk factors include smoking, high-blood pressure, obesity/overweight, physical inactivity and family history of heart disease.
Though most believe cholesterol is a bad substance, it actually is essential to the body. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that helps the body produce cell membranes, hormones and vitamin D. About two-thirds of the body's cholesterol is made by the liver. The rest is considered dietary cholesterol, consumed from animal fats such as meats, whole milk, dairy foods, egg yolks, poultry and fish.
Over-consumption of dietary cholesterol can result in having too much cholesterol in the blood, which can lead to cholesterol buildup in the arteries. To carry the cholesterol through the blood, the body produces lipoproteins: low-density lipoprotein (LDL, the bad cholesterol), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL, the good cholesterol).
LDL-cholesterol can carry cholesterol through the blood. HDL-cholesterol helps remove cholesterol from the blood and helps prevent fatty buildup.
Raising HDL-cholesterol, which in turn lowers LDL, is one of the best tools in fighting coronary heart disease and the risk of dangerous cholesterol levels, said Dr. Ediberto Soto-Cora, American Heart Association board president.
“For every percent you lower your LDL, you double your chance of not having a cardiac event,” he said.
The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends this eating pattern for everyone 2 and older:
• Less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat.
• An average of 30 percent of calories or less from total fat.
• Less than 300 milligrams a day of dietary cholesterol.
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