SENIOR HEALTH CONNECTION NEWSLETTER September 2012 eptember is National Cholesterol Awareness Month Cholesterol is a waxy substance that carries digested fat from your liver to parts of your body that need fat for energy and healing. Most of the cholesterol in your body is made in the liver but some comes from eating high fat foods. Some fat and cholesterol in the blood stream is normal and healthy but too much-or abnormal levels- can cause problems such as heart attack or stroke. Too much cholesterol in the blood can build up in the walls of your arteries. Over time, this build up causes hardening of the arteries, which slows the flow of blood to the heart. It is important to know your cholesterol numbers. Here are four areas to look for; Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital Center Total Cholesterol Level Category Less than 200 mg/dL Desirable 200-239 mg/dL Borderline high 240 mg/dL and above High LDL Cholesterol Level LDL Category Less than 100 mg/dL Optimal 100-129 mg/dL Near optimal 130-159 mg/dL Borderline high 160-289 mg/dL High 190 mg/dL and above Very high HDL Cholesterol 60 mg/dL or above are optimal Triglycerides 200 mg/dL high (seek treatment) Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter fdl) of blood. LDL (bad) cholesterol—the main source of fat build up in the blood stream. Total cholesterol High cholesterol itself does not have symptoms so it is important to know your cholesterol numbers. Lowering high cholesterol HDL (good) cholesterol—HDL cholesterol levels will lessen the chance of heart attack removes some of the LDL cholesterol or dying from heart disease. from the artery walls. Triglycerides-another form of fat in (Source intermountainhealthcare.org and nih.org) your blood. 85