Test Your Cholesterol IQ (NAPSA)—Take this simple quiz and test your knowledge of cholesterol: 1. Most of your blood cholesterol is produced by: a. Yourliver; b. Your pancreas; c. Food consumption; d. Your kidneys. Answer: a. Yourliver. Your liver produces about 1,000 mg of cholesterol a day—all the cholesterol your body needs. Another 200 to 500 mg can come from the food you eat. 2. True or false: All I really need to know is my total blood cholesterol number. Answer: False. You should have a complete lipoprotein profile done. Your blood cholesterol is made upof two main kindsof cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is the “bad” cholesterol. When too much of it circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. HDL, the “good” cholesterol, helps remove “bad” cholesterol from arteries and prevent blockage. Triglyceride is a form of fat. It is made in your body and also comes from food. 3. True or false: If I have high cholesterol, the only thing I can do aboutit is take medication. Answer: False. Before starting you on medication, your physician will probably address your diet, exercise and smoking habits. Then, if losing weight, hearthealthy eating and physical activity don’t lower your cholesterol, your doctor may prescribe medication. If you quit smoking, you may see an improvement in your HDL cholesterol levels. 4. Which of the following is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke? a. High blood pressure; Understanding cholesterol is extremely important to your cardiovascular health. b. Smoking; c. Family history of heart disease; d. All of the above. Answer: d. All of the above. You can also include diabetes, high cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, physical inactivity and overweight/obesity. Additional factors you can’t change are increased age, male gender andrace. 5. True or false: I know my HDL and LDL cholesterol numbers and my triglyceride level, and I know what I need to do to keep them in the low-risk range. If you answer True, you’re probably already choosing a hearthealthy diet, getting 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week and staying away from tobacco products. If you answer False, you need to have your cholesterol checked by your health care provider, learn all of your numbers and change your lifestyle if the numbers are borderline-high or high. Learn more at americanheart. org/cholesterol. There you’ll find free tools, such as a cholesterol tracker, medication worksheet, checklists and guidelines, and Heart Profilers, a free interactive program designed to help you get. your cholesterol numbers where they need to be.
