This may come as a surprise, but often there are no cholesterol symptoms. So despite feeling healthy, you can still have high cholesterol levels and not even know it. However, if you ignore high cholesterol, it may eventually lead to serious heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of deaths in the U.S according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
So how can you tell if you have high cholesterol?
A good way to tell if you have high cholesterol levels is by taking a cholesterol test. (If you are not sure where your closest medical information center is, simply research it online). The cholesterol test is a blood test that measures the key fats in the blood such as:
• LDL
• HDL
• Triglycerides
• Total cholesterol
If your cholesterol levels are not within the normal ranges, your doctor may recommend a low-fat diet, exercise, medication, or a combination of these.
What are the current guidelines for everyone?
• Everyone over the age of 20 should get a cholesterol check at least once every five years.
• If you have a family history of high cholesterol, or diagnosed with a chronic condition such as diabetes or heart disease, consider more frequent routine checkups.
• Focus on a nutritional diet to maintain your health
• Exercise and stay physically active to reduce cholesterol levels
If you are diagnosed with high cholesterol, and do not make the appropriate lifestyle changes, you may be at risk for:
• Atherosclerosis — Known also as “hardening of the arteries”, occurs when cholesterol and other lipids accumulate on the surfaces of the arteries. This can lead to heart attack, a stroke, and even death.
• Heart attack – This happens when the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart are blocked, preventing enough oxygen from pumping to the heart.
• Stroke – A stoke or “brain attack,” can result from the blockage of an artery that supplies oxygen to the brain.