Cholesterol: Overview and History

High cholesterol is a concern for everyone, and with good reason. High levels of cholesterol can create serious risks to an otherwise healthy person. Monitoring cholesterol through diet and exercise is important, but the first step is having a clear understanding of the facts.

In May 2001, the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) issued important clinical cholesterol guidelines. This update was the first in ten years, and was prepared with hopes of helping adults manage their cholesterol levels, and prevent an increase.

The NCEP, in cooperation with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, developed new cholesterol guidelines through research and study. The guidelines show significant changes in the following areas:

* More insistent cholesterol-reducing treatments

* Identifying patients at high risk of heart disease

* A new stage at which low high-density lipoprotein (low HDL) poses a major high risk factor for heart disease

* New therapeutic lifestyle changes that can increase the ability to improve cholesterol levels

* A greater focus on the cluster of risk factors in heart disease called "the metabolic syndrome", as related to insulin resistance

* Increased awareness surrounding treatment, with more aggressive treatment of high triglycerides.

Under these new guidelines, the NCEP had anticipated a considerable increase in the number of Americans undergoing treatment for high cholesterol. In fact, these numbers did increase. In cases of patients taking dietary treatments, the numbers rose from 52 million to 65 million. Additionally, an estimated 36 million patients were taking cholesterol-reducing drugs, an increase from the previous number of 13 million.

In the 2001 report, it was shown that diabetes poses a high risk of heart disease. The report also suggested that people with diabetes should undergo the same intensive treatment as those suffering with heart disease. These suggested treatments include both lifestyle changes and medications.

As a result of the new cholesterol guidelines, there is now a widely used tool that can help to predict a patient's chance of developing heart disease within a ten-year span. The tool can calculate the risk of women and men separately. It is highly recommended by a group called the Adult Treatment Patients (ATP), and is used to assess patients who present two or more risk factors of heart disease.

There were other changes presented in the new cholesterol guidelines, as follows:

* A better high cholesterol treatment for diabetics. People with Type 2 diabetes face a high short-term risk of having a coronary episode, and a higher risk of suffering a fatal heart attack.

* Use of lipoprotein profile as the first step in testing for high cholesterol. This uses the measurement of levels of HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides and other fatty substances that are found in the bloodstream.

* Increased use of nutrition, weight control and physical activity to act as treatments of high blood cholesterol levels.

* Identification of "metabolic syndrome" as risk factors relating to insulin resistance.

* Advising patients to refrain from using hormone replacement therapies (HRT) as substitutes for cholesterol-reducing medicines.

Over the ten year span, major advances were realized in the treatment of high cholesterol. Thanks to the findings of the 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program, we have a greater understanding of the effects of high cholesterol, and doctors are able to take advantage of better treatment options.

Italian Article Marketing Directory: http://www.articolando.com

Contributor Eunice Gaelek enjoys writing articles for numerous web magazines, and you can see more of her work if you click here and check out this site.

Vota l'articolo

Not yet Rated

Clicca sulla icona XML per ricevere Food and Drink Via RSS!

Altri articoli - Home | English Articles | Food And Drink

Wine Vouchers – The Perfect Gift For Everyone - By : Francesca Krajewski
A Guide To Chablis - By : Fiona Muller
A Gude to Merlot - By : Fiona Muller
Sauvignon Blanc - By : Fiona Muller
What is The Bloody Caesar Cocktail? - By : Colin Glaysher
Las Vegas go for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. - By : qxmax
Tips to Eat Sugar-Free - By : Brian Jenkins2
Popular Sugar-Free Baked Goods - By : Brian Jenkins2
Health Advantages of Eating Sugar-Free - By : Brian Jenkins2
Natural Colon Cleanse tips - By : Alice Campbell

Registrati per scrivere articoli
Scrivi Articolo
Articoli più popolari
Guida per inserimento articolo
Notifica E-zine
Articoli RSS Feeds

	Stampa l'articolo
	Aggiungi ai favoriti
	Segnala via email
	Ezine Ready

Contattaci
Directory
Ultime Notizie
Video Anni 80
Video Sigle Cartoni Animati
Video Musicali
Idee regalo di Natale

realizzazione siti cagliari| creazione siti sardegna