Heart Disease
Coronary Heart Disease
Things you can change: Cholesterol
Cholesterol is an essential body fat. It is present in food but is also made by the liver. At any one time, some cholesterol is always present in the bloodstream. When people with heart disease have abnormally high amounts of cholesterol in their blood, however, the danger of a heart attack increases. This is because cholesterol becomes embedded in the blood-vessel walls, causing them to narrow.
What can be done?
If you have coronary heart disease, you should have your cholesterol levels checked. Not everyone with raised cholesterol will develop problems, but the chances of developing coronary heart disease increases with raised cholesterol, especially as the cholesterol level increases above 5.2 mmol/L.
If your cholesterol levels are high, the first step is to change your diet by reducing your intake of fat, especially saturated fat. Eating the right foods, like fresh fruit and vegetables, which contain a lot of fiber, will also help. Moderate exercise may also help (more about this later). If the doctor tells you that your cholesterol level is still too high, medicines may be prescribed to help reduce your cholesterol level further
