You might not give it much thought throughout the day, but your  heart is working around the clock for you. Your heart is the most important muscle in your body because it pumps blood and oxygen to all of your organs.




When your heart doesn’t get the care it needs, serious problems can develop in the lining of the arteries, which then lead to plaque formation.  Plaque is what leads to heart attacks and blockage of blood flow in the arteries. Understand the conditions that affect your heart and the habits that can help prevent or manage them. Taking action will help you keep your ticker in top shape.

Heart Disease

Cholesterol

What is cholesterol?

You may think all cholesterol is bad, but your body needs some to work right.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that your body makes and you also get from food. It allows your body to make vitamin D and certain hormones, including estrogen in women and testosterone in men, and helps with digestion.

Why should I care about cholesterol?

There are two types of cholesterol you may have heard about: High-density lipoprotein or HDL, often called good cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein or  LDL, often called bad cholesterol.

Bad cholesterol can contribute to artery-clogging plaque. Good cholesterol, on the other hand, helps remove plaque. In the end, it helps protect you from getting heart disease. Having too much of the bad, or not enough of the good, can lead to heart disease.

If you are over the age of 20 and don’t have heart disease, you should have your levels checked every 4 to 6 years. You may need to get your cholesterol checked more often if you’re at risk for heart disease, have high cholesterol, or have been on medications that treat high cholesterol.


How can I lower my cholesterol levels?


Medications and lifestyle changes can help you get high cholesterol under control. Even if you don’t have high cholesterol, you can still make changes to your daily habits to lower your risk of heart disease.

Read more health tips

 You might not give it much thought throughout the day, but your  heart is working around the clock for you. Your heart is the most important muscle in your body because it pumps blood and oxygen to all of your organs.




When your heart doesn’t get the care it needs, serious problems can develop in the lining of the arteries, which then lead to plaque formation.  Plaque is what leads to heart attacks and blockage of blood flow in the arteries. Understand the conditions that affect your heart and the habits that can help prevent or manage them. Taking action will help you keep your ticker in top shape.

Heart Disease

Cholesterol

What is cholesterol?

You may think all cholesterol is bad, but your body needs some to work right.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that your body makes and you also get from food. It allows your body to make vitamin D and certain hormones, including estrogen in women and testosterone in men, and helps with digestion.

Why should I care about cholesterol?

There are two types of cholesterol you may have heard about: High-density lipoprotein or HDL, often called good cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein or  LDL, often called bad cholesterol.

Bad cholesterol can contribute to artery-clogging plaque. Good cholesterol, on the other hand, helps remove plaque. In the end, it helps protect you from getting heart disease. Having too much of the bad, or not enough of the good, can lead to heart disease.

If you are over the age of 20 and don’t have heart disease, you should have your levels checked every 4 to 6 years. You may need to get your cholesterol checked more often if you’re at risk for heart disease, have high cholesterol, or have been on medications that treat high cholesterol.


How can I lower my cholesterol levels?


Medications and lifestyle changes can help you get high cholesterol under control. Even if you don’t have high cholesterol, you can still make changes to your daily habits to lower your risk of heart disease.

Read more health tips