Resolving to Lower Your Cholesterol in the New Year

A common New Year's resolution--along with losing weight, reducing stress and quitting smoking--is to lower one's cholesterol.  As another new year begins, many of us are assessing our health and thinking about ways to improve it.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance found among the fats in your blood as well as in the cells of your body. It's important because it's used to form membranes and hormones, but having a lot of cholesterol in your blood puts you at risk for heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack.  You may have heard of there being two types of cholesterol--good and bad.  Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, carries most of the cholesterol in the blood. If too much builds up in the arteries, plaque can form and clog them, which leads to atherosclerosis.

In order to minimize these risks, it's a good idea to monitor your cholesterol levels and maintain healthy habits even if your numbers are currently low.  If you are unaware of what your cholesterol levels are, you'll want to make it a priority to schedule a screening with a health professional so that you can be assessed.

Cholesterol levels are affected by the food you eat but also by genetics.  Sometimes modifying one's lifestyle is not enough, and your doctor may need to prescribe medicine to get your numbers in check.  If your doctor does recommend lifestyle changes, make sure to follow those recommendations carefully.  These kinds of changes can include:

• A healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, high fiber and lean meats, poultry and fish (and low in saturated and trans fats)
  
• Avoiding smoking
• Engaging in regular exercise

Even if your New Year's resolution didn't include managing your cholesterol specifically, if you are serious about your health in 2010, be sure to have a cholesterol screening so that you know where you stand.  Allegheny Medical can provide you with this screening as well as perform an in-depth evaluation in order to customize a wellness program based on your individual needs.  Please visit the WellnessCare section of our website for more information or call us at (412) 494-4550 today.