By SHAVAUGHN MOSS,Lifestyles Editor,shavaughn@nasguard.com
Elizabeth Sands knows she's put on a little weight — actually a lot of weight over the past few years, but, she was totally taken aback after a recent doctor's visit when she was told she had high cholesterol. She knows that this insidious disease can lead to heart disease, stroke and heart attacks.
The 38-year-old female says she sat in her doctor's officer in fear as he talked to her about her levels which were read at 132, what she needed to do, and about medication to lower the bad cholesterol (LDL) in her body, which built up over time due to unhealthy eating habits she'd adopted.
The former athlete — in college and high school said, "as I sat there, the only thing that went through my mind were thoughts of the exercise program that I've been saying I need to start, and the gym membership currently sitting on my bureau at home, and how I need to get moving."
Sands, who loves rich food, said she hesitated for just a second but knew she needed to make drastic changes. Her doctor gave her a month to lower the LDL in her body by 32 points.
A mere week later she was surprised to hear Dr. James Constantakis addressing the issue of cholesterol on his health 11 a.m. segment on Star 106.5 FM, during which time he sorted through the myths surrounding the disease.
SORTING THROUGH THE CHOLESTEROL MYTHS
-- With Dr. James Constantakis
Question: All high cholesterol levels puts you at risk for disease?
Answer: No
"You can have high cholesterol and most of it can be the good kind, so when you go to a screening and they say you have high cholesterol, make sure you check what kind — high HDL (good cholesterol) or high LDL (bad cholesterol). If they say it's normal, it doesn't mean it is normal because the normal cholesterol could be the bad one. If it's really high, we have drugs that can really cut it in half. If you have a lot of bad cholesterol, we start to talk about diet and statins . . . and statins are my favorite cholesterol lowering drugs. I find a lot of patients are nervous about taking them because of the ads - may cause liver damage - [but] that's very rare and [medication] saves lots of lives."
Question: If your LDL cholesterol is high, in your blood are there noticeable symptoms?
Answer: No
"You can have tons of bad cholesterol, and not know it.
You can't tell until you have angina, or peripheral artery disease. All of a sudden you have a stroke and you say, 'oh my cholesterol is high.'"
Question: Medication is the only way to manage high risk cholesterol?
Answer: No
"You start with diet and exercise, and watch out for trans fats."
Question: Cholesterol raises your chance of type 2 diabetes?
Answer: Yes
"Low HDL levels, good cholesterol, can predispose you to diabetes. Unfortunately a lot of this is predetermined genetically. A lot of times if you have low good cholesterol, it's what your genes are giving you, and it's very difficult to raise the good cholesterol, but their are two ways you can. A drink or two a day, and exercise will raise the good cholesterol — and alcohol is alcohol, it could be two Bloody Mary's, two Screwdrivers, two Rum and Cokes — it's the actual alcohol that can raise the HDL, especially combined with the exercise."
Question: If your total cholesterol is level at 200 you're not at risk for heart disease or stroke?
Answer: False
"You can have normal cholesterol and still be at risk. You can be normal, and most of it's the bad kind — the LDL."
Question: Tobacco and alcohol can affect your cholesterol?
Answer True:
"Cholesterol can be affected by tobacco and alcohol. Alcohol can raise the good cholesterol. Smoking will lower it. They've proven that HDL can be lowered a bit by smoking. I'm not saying you need to drink more alcohol, [but] if you do drink, it's best to keep it to a minimum of two [drinks], or one if you're female. If you don't drink, it's probably best not to even start. It makes no sense to say I don't drink but I'm going to force myself to have two drinks a day."
Question: You should get your first cholesterol test at age 45
Answer: False
"In your 20s. You want to know really early if [you're] eating the wrong foods. Your LDL, your bad cholesterol, should be less than 100, your good cholesterol, your HDL should be higher than 60. If you have those numbers you're looking really good.
"You can go into any lab and say I want to have a cholesterol test, and they should do it, because it's a screening test. I encourage people, to get their cholesterol checked, especially if they have high blood pressure, because it's a double whammy. High blood pressure is an accelerant, and it accelerates the problem with cholesterol and sugar accelerates the problem with cholesterol and with hypertension, so it gets worse and worse with time."
