High Cholesterol

Minority Women's Health > Hispanic Americans/Latinas > Health Topics > High Cholesterol

Resources in English
Recursos en español

Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in all parts of the body. It comes from two sources: your body and the food you eat. Your liver makes all the cholesterol your body needs. Eating too much cholesterol from animal foods like meats, whole milk dairy products, and egg yolks can make your cholesterol go up. Cholesterol blocks blood from flowing easily through your body. The higher your cholesterol, the more likely you are to get heart disease. High cholesterol is a health problem for all women.

Among Mexican American women over 20, close to half have borderline-high risk total cholesterol levels. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol levels of 130 mg/dL or higher are linked to a higher risk of heart disease.

Have your cholesterol checked by a doctor. Ask her or him how often you should have your cholesterol checked.

There are some things you can do to help lower your cholesterol:

Don't smoke. If you smoke, try to quit. For help along the way, check out our Quitting Smoking section.
Keep a healthy weight.
Eat right. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Eat chicken, turkey and lean meats. Avoid organ meats, egg yolks, whole milk dairy products, fats like butter or lard, and packaged or processed foods.
Get moving. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise a day, most days of the week. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walk during breaks at work.

Resources in English

Publications

For Your Heart - This portion of the womenshealth.gov web site will escort you through a short, confidential survey of questions about your health and lifestyle. Based on your answers, it will provide you with a series of articles detailing the latest information on exercise, nutrition, smoking, diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure, and other factors that affect you and your risk for heart disease - all tailored to your needs.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/ForYourHeart/
High Blood Cholesterol - What You Need to Know - This publication for patients and the general public is based on new clinical guidelines for cholesterol testing and management. Find out what your cholesterol numbers mean and what treatment your doctor may prescribe to help lower your cholesterol level. It includes a tool to estimate the risk for having a heart attack, and outlines ways to reduce risk.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/wyntk.htm
How You Can Lower Your Cholesterol Level: Virtual Fitness Room - This publication provides information to people who are at risk of heart disease about the types of light to moderate physical activity in which they can participate. Research indicates that there are great benefits to physical activity in helping to lower an individual's cholesterol level.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/chd/Tipsheets/vfitness.htm
Live Healthier, Live Longer: Cholesterol Counts for Everyone - Visit this interactive page to find information about preventing heart disease and reducing the risk of having a heart attack for those with heart disease. It contains recipes, a "how to" guide for lowering cholesterol, and many engaging activities.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/chd/
September is Cholesterol Education Month - This publication contains information about why high cholesterol is harmful to one's health and also discusses examples of health disparities related to high blood cholesterol.
http://www.cdc.gov/omh/Highlights/2004/HSept04.htm
What Are Healthy Levels of Cholesterol? (Copyright © AHA) - This brochure discusses the health risks of having high cholesterol. It defines what high risk levels are and what your LDL level should be.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=183

Organizations

= Indicates Federal Resources

Recursos en español

Publicaciones

Conozca su nivel de colesterol (Learn Your Cholesterol Number) - Este panfleto tiene consejos de como prevenir las enfermedades cardiovasculares. Esta escrito en dos idiomas.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/sp_chonu.pdf
Lipoproteína-A - Esta página informa acerca la lipoproteina-A las cuales transportan el colesterol en la sangre. Hay diferentes exámenes que detectan la lipoproteina en el suero de la sangre. La información en estas páginas mostrará los riesgos e interpretación de los resultados.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/ency/article/007262.htm
Platillos latinos ¡Sabrosos y Saludables! (Delicious Heart-Healthy Latino Recipes) - Learn to cook some of your favorite, traditional Latino dishes in a heart-healthy way. This bilingual cookbook contains 23 tested recipes that cut down on fat, cholesterol, and sodium but not on taste.

Aprenda de cocinar sus favoritos platos tradicionales latinos con menos grasa, colesterol y sodio. Este libro bilingüe con sus 23 recetas le ayudará realizarlo. Disfrute de estas recetas deliciosas.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/sp_recip.pdf
Colesterol: lo que usted puede hacer para disminuir su nivel (Copyright © AAFP) - Muchas personas son diagnosticadas con colesterol alto. Estas páginas describe que tan dañino el colesterol puede ser para su cuerpo y cómo hacer que el nivel baje. Asimismo contiene una lista de comidas que ayudan a bajar el nivel alto de colesterol.
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/heartdisease/risk/029.html
Hiperlipidemia (exceso de grasas en la sangre) (Copyright © Hormone Foundation) - Esta hoja define la hiperlipidemia. Recibirá información sobre sus causas, riesgos, diagnóstico y tratamientos.
http://www.hormone.org/Spanish/Factsheets_Spanish/upload/spanish_hyperlipidemia-...
Medicamentos para bajar el colesterol (Copyright © AAFP) - Estas páginas contestan algunas de las preguntas comunes acerca los medicamentos usados para bajar el colesterol.
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/seniors/seniors-meds/801.html

Organizaciones

= Recurso Federal

Current as of December 2007