If you have high cholesterol, your doctor may have prescribed a statin for you. Statins block a liver enzyme that helps create cholesterol. For many people, they are very effective in lowering that LDL number. But, according to Dr. Arthur Agatston, a preventative cardiologist, medicine alone won’t protect you from a heart attack. That is because LDL is a factor in heart attacks, but not the only risk. Genetics and lifestyle also affect cardiac health.
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that occurs naturally in all parts of the body. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries. This is called plaque. Plaque can narrow your arteries or even block them.
High levels of cholesterol in the blood can increase your risk of heart disease. Your cholesterol levels tend to rise as you get older. There are usually no signs or symptoms that you have high blood cholesterol, but it can be detected with a blood test. You are likely to have high cholesterol if members of your family have it, if you are overweight or if you eat a lot of fatty foods. His is why healthy good choices are so important.
High cholesterol can also affect children. The new guidelines are that children between the ages of 9 and 11 should be screened or high cholesterol as recommended by the nation’s leading group of pediatricians.
The recommendations are a major shift from current guidelines that suggest such testing be done only for children who have a family history of heart disease or high blood cholesterol, which is one of the major risk factors for heart disease.
Meant to improve children's heart health and reduce their future risk of cardiovascular disease, the new guidelines also recommend that children and young adults have their cholesterol levels checked again between the ages of 17 and 21. http://www.cincinnati.md/oh/cincinnati/con-article/658850/stanton''s%20used%20%20or%20high%20cholesterol/new_guidelines_urge_cholesterol_check_for_all_kids_ages_9_to_11.htm
Other opportunities or new drugs to treat high cholesterol have shown a lot of promise and are being pursued.
http://www.cincinnati.md/oh/cincinnati/con-article/663135/Statins/new_injection_might_lower_tough-to-treat_cholesterol.htm
Most studies are done on men. Be sure to research any drug that your physician recommends. Ask your pharmacist. That’s their job and they are a great reference. Also, research articles from the homepage of MYCity.MD.
Sunday 04/12/12- Exercise Diary:
power yoga DVD- 60 minutes
Sunday 04/12/12- Food Diary:
Breakfast-
Organic steel cut oats (150 cal)
1 small banana (90 cal)
1 cup egg whites, 2 asparagus spears, onion (140 cal)
A.M. Snack
1 cup 0% Greek yogurt (90 cal)
1/2 cup non fat cottage cheese ( 55 cal)
3/4 cup mixed berries (40 cal)
Lunch-
low-salt turkey burger (thin wheat bun) (187 cal
low-salt homemade vegetable soup (150 cal)
3 oz sweet potato, or 1/2 a regular potato (115 cal)
P.M. Snack-
apple, 2 tbls organic almond butter (210 cal)
1 whole wheat, low-carb tortilla (100 cal)
Dinner-
Homemade chicken dish with 2 oz of chicken, pinapple, fresh mango, lite coconut milk, curry, steamed snap peas, bamboo shoots, orange juice(thickened) served over 1/2 cup brown rice (350 cal)
1 sliced yellow tomato (26 cal)
Dessert-
homemade popcorn (90 cal)
TOTAL CALORIES:1793
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