Lowering Your Cholesterol Helps Lessen Your Chance of Heart Attacks or Stroke

Cholesterol is a kind of fat in your blood. Your body makes its own cholesterol. You also get it from the foods you eat like meat, potato chips, cookies, and eggs. Some people have too much cholesterol in their blood.

Cholesterol can build up on the inside of the blood vessels of your heart. The blood cannot flow through to your heart if too much cholesterol builds up. This can cause a heart attack.

Most people do not have any signs of high cholesterol. The only way to know for sure is to go to the doctor and ask for a cholesterol test.

There are things you can do to lower your cholesterol if your doctor finds you have high cholesterol. You can change your diet. You can exercise at least 30 minutes most days. There are medicines you can take to help lower your cholesterol.

Did you know?
• High cholesterol can raise your chance of having heart attacks and heart disease.
• Women over age 20 should have their cholesterol checked by a doctor.
• Most people do not show any signs of having high cholesterol.
• Sometimes cholesterol can build up in your heart and cause chest pains.
• You can find out your cholesterol number by getting a simple blood test.
• There is good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). Good cholesterol protects you from heart disease. A good HDL count should be 60 mg. or higher. The LDL bad cholesterol count should be under 130 mg.
• Your total cholesterol number should be under 200

Source: Food and Drug Administration, Office of Women's Health/www.fda.gov/womens