Cholesterol Supplements

It’s hard to miss the health messages concerning cholesterol these days, and by now you've probably become awarethat lowering cholesterol is animportant way to stay healthy.Even major manufacturers areadvertising the benefits of loweringcholesterol.

From breakfastcereals to soy-fortifiedfoods, many products claim thatthey can help you stay heart-healthy.According to the NationalHeart, Lung and Blood Institute(NHLBI), one out of every twomen, and one out of every threewomen will develop heart diseaseduring their lifetime. Youcan reduce your risk for havinga heart attack by lowering yourcholesterol level.However, with terms floatingaround like good cholesterol,bad cholesterol and atherosclerosis— and with contradictoryinformation concerning cholesterolbeing broadcast daily,sometimes it can be hard to tellthe facts from fiction when itcomes to getting educatedabout heart disease.Here are some cholesterol educationfacts, courtesy ofNHLBI, which have been puttogether to help shed light onthe mysteriesWhy is cholesterol important?Blood cholesterol plays animportant part in deciding aperson's chance or risk of gettingcoronary heart disease.

The higher your blood cholesterollevels, the greater yourrisk. That's why high bloodcholesterol is called a risk factorfor heart disease — the No.1 killer of men and women intheUnited States. Excess cholesterolin the blood causesbuildup on the walls of the arteriesthat carry blood, much theway plaque builds up on teethThis buildup is called atherosclerosisor hardening of the arteries.The arteries become so narrowdue to the cholesterolbuildup that blood flow to theheart can be slowed or stoppedcompletely.

Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of coronarydisease and can happen so slowlyyou may not even be awareof it. All adults age 20 and oldershould have their blood cholesterol(also known as total bloodcholesterol) checked at leastevery five years. Levels under200 mg/dl are called "desirable"and put you at a lower riskfor heart disease.Your blood cholesterol levelis influenced by many factors,including your diet, weight,level of physical activity, heredity,age and gender. One ofthe easiest ways to get heart-healthyis to increase physicalactivity, eat healthier foods andlose excess weight.