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June 10, 2014 By Julian

September Is National Cholesterol Education Month

People_MatureCoupleEatingLunchLearn what steps you can take to prevent high cholesterol or to reduce your LDL “bad” cholesterol level.

Too much cholesterol in the blood is one of the main risk factors for heart disease and stroke—two leading causes of death in the United States. One way to prevent these diseases is to detect high cholesterol and treat it when it is found.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that your body needs. But when you have too much in your blood, it can build up on the walls of your arteries and form blockages. This can lead to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

There are two kinds of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). HDL is also called “good” cholesterol. LDL is called “bad” cholesterol. When we talk about high cholesterol, we are talking about “bad” LDL cholesterol.

Seventy-one million American adults have high cholesterol, but only one-third of them have the condition under control.1September is National Cholesterol Education Month—a good time to resolve to get your cholesterol screened.

What role does screening play?

Screening is the key to detecting high cholesterol. Because high cholesterol does not have symptoms, many people do not know that their cholesterol is too high. Your doctor can do a simple blood test to check your cholesterol level.

The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that adults aged 20 years or older have their cholesterol checked every 5 years.2

You may need to have your cholesterol checked more often if any of the following statements applies to you:

  • Your total cholesterol is 200 mg/dL or higher.
  • You are a man older than age 45 or a woman older than age 50.
  • Your HDL cholesterol is lower than 40 mg/dL.
  • You have other risk factors for heart disease and stroke.3

Although the number of people who said they were screened for cholesterol within the previous 5 years increased from 73% to 76% from 2005-2009,4 only a handful of states have met the 82% Healthy People 2020 objective, and disparities in getting screened persist.5

How can you prevent or treat high cholesterol?

Make therapeutic lifestyle changes by

  • Eating a healthy diet. Avoid saturated fats and trans fats, which tend to raise cholesterol levels. Other types of fats, such as polyunsaturated fats, can actually lower blood cholesterol levels. Eating fiber also can help lower cholesterol.
  • Exercising regularly. Physical activity can help lower cholesterol. The Surgeon General recommends that adults engage in moderate-intensity exercise for 2 hours and 30 minutes every week.
  • Maintaining a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can raise your cholesterol levels. Losing weight can help lower your cholesterol.
  • Not smoking. If you smoke, quit as soon as possible.

Be sure to follow your doctor’s instructions and stay on your medications, if prescribed, to control your cholesterol.

Are there clinical and community programs to help address high cholesterol?

A variety of community and clinical activities address screening and treatment for high cholesterol:

The Million Hearts®External Web Site Icon initiative is a national effort to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes in the United States by 2017, by bringing together communities, health systems, nonprofit organizations, federal agencies, and private sector partners. Million Hearts focuses on (1) Improving the “ABCS” of cardiovascular health—Aspirin when appropriate, Blood pressure control, Cholesterol management, and Smoking cessation; and (2) Empowering Americans to make healthy choices such as preventing or quitting tobacco use and reducing salt (sodium) and trans fat consumption.

All states and the District of Columbia are now funded to address heart disease and stroke prevention, with 32 receiving additional funding to enhance their program and reach more people. This includes increasing quality improvement efforts in health systems, such as using health information technology and team-based care as well as community-clinical linkage to support self-management outside of clinical settings, along with health extenders such as community pharmacists and community health workers.

CDC’s National Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention program supports states implementing evidence-based practices in community and clinical settings, specifically highlighting cholesterol control within communities.

The National Cholesterol Education ProgramExternal Web Site Icon provides evidence-based resources and recommendations to health care providers, and new guidelines for cholesterol are in development.

For more information about cholesterol and how you can prevent high cholesterol or keep it in check, see “Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC” from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.6

Sources

  1. CDC. Vital signs: prevalence, treatment, and control of high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol—United States, 1999–2002 and 2005–2008. MMWR. 2011;60(4):109–14.
  2. The American Heart Association. How to Get Your Cholesterol Tested Website.External Web Site Icon
  3. The American Heart Association. Life’s Simple 7 Website.External Web Site Icon
  4. CDC. Prevalence of cholesterol screening and high blood cholesterol among adults—United States, 2005, 2007, and 2009. MMWR. 2012;61(35):697–702.
  5. Healthy People. Heart disease and stroke. Healthy People 2020 Objective HDS-6External Web Site Icon.
  6. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC Adobe PDF file [PDF – 1.74MB]External Web Site Icon.NIH Publication No. 06-5235. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services; 2005.

 

Source: CDC http://www.cdc.gov “September is National Cholesterol Education Month“ http://www.cdc.gov/features/cholesterolawareness Accessed December 2, 2015.

© Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. This content is strictly for informational purposes and although experts have prepared it, the reader should not substitute this information for professional insurance advice. If you have any questions, please consult your insurance professional before acting on any information presented. Read more.

Filed Under: Events, Theme 71

June 10, 2014 By Julian

High Blood Pressure & Cholesterol

Health-Wellness_HeartAttackCDC VITAL SIGNS TM

39

Every 39 seconds an adult dies from heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular disease.

A heart with and upward pointing arrow1 in 2

Nearly 68 million people have high blood pressure but about 1 in 2 doesn’t have it under control.

A man and woman2 in 3

71 million US adults have high cholesterol but 2 in 3 don’t have it under control.

Heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular (blood vessel) diseases are among the leading cause of death and now kill more than 800,000 adults in the US each year. Of these, 150,000 are younger than age 65. These diseases are also two of the leading causes of health disparities in the US. Treatment of these diseases accounts for 1 in every 6 US health dollars spent. Two main reasons people have heart disease or stroke are high blood pressure* and cholesterol, which are common, deadly, and preventable. Nearly 2 out of 3 adults with high cholesterol and about half of adults with high blood pressure don’t have their condition yet under control. Clearly, other steps are needed to gain control of these health risks.

* High blood pressure means at least 140/90 mmHg. High cholesterol in this report means high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.

Source: CDC http://www.cdc.gov “High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol“ http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/CardiovascularDisease Accessed December 2, 2015.

© Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. This content is strictly for informational purposes and although experts have prepared it, the reader should not substitute this information for professional insurance advice. If you have any questions, please consult your insurance professional before acting on any information presented. Read more.

Filed Under: Events, Theme 71

June 10, 2014 By Julian

National Cholesterol Education Program

Food_GreasyJunkFoodThe National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) launched the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) in November 1985. The goal of the NCEP is to contribute to reducing illness and death from coronary heart disease (CHD) in the United States by reducing the percent of Americans with high blood cholesterol. Through educational efforts directed at health professionals and the public, the NCEP aims to raise awareness and understanding about high blood cholesterol as a risk factor for CHD and the benefits of lowering cholesterol levels as a means of preventing CHD.

  • Program Description
  • Health Related Information
    Patients/General Public
    HealthCare/Other Professionals
  • Clinical Practice Guidelines for Cholesterol Management in Adults (ATP III)

Source: NIH http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov “National Cholesterol Education Program“ http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncep Accessed December 2, 2015.

© Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. This content is strictly for informational purposes and although experts have prepared it, the reader should not substitute this information for professional insurance advice. If you have any questions, please consult your insurance professional before acting on any information presented. Read more.

Filed Under: Events, Theme 71

June 10, 2014 By Julian Aston

IN: September Is National Cholesterol Education Month

Dear Valued Customer,

September is National Cholesterol Education Month, the subject of this issue of the “———————“.

Seventy-one million American adults have high cholesterol, but only one-third of them have the condition under control. Studies among people with and without heart disease have shown that lowering cholesterol can reduce the risk of dying from heart disease, including heart attacks and deaths related to heart disease. This is true for those with high cholesterol levels and even for those with average levels.

Read on to learn what steps you can take to prevent high cholesterol or to reduce your LDL “bad” cholesterol level.

We appreciate your continued business and look forward to serving you.

Kind regards,

Filed Under: Events, Theme 71

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