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Cholesterol
Women Lack Understanding of Cholesterol, Study Shows
A recent survey conducted of 2,700 women by Harris Interactive found that women continue to demonstrate a lack of understanding of the difference between good and bad cholesterol. Almost a fourth of the women surveyed have experienced cardiovascular disease, stroke, or diabetes.
Although the majority of respondents stated that they were knowledgeable about cholesterol in general, 81% could not name their good (HDL) levels or LDL (bad) levels. Beyond their own personal data, more than half the women did not know which cholesterol was good and which was bad. Even some women currently taking a statin for high cholesterol were unable to distinguish between good and bad cholesterol.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death for both women and men in the United States. High blood cholesterol levels raise your chances of getting heart disease. Blood cholesterol levels in both men and women begin to go up around age 20. Before menopause, women have lower cholesterol levels than men of the same age. After menopause, a woman's cholesterol level can go up.
Many studies found that women with higher total cholesterol levels also had higher rates of a form of heart disease called coronary artery disease. That is where the arteries to the heart become clogged. This leads to heart attacks. For cholesterol, levels of about 200 or less are generally not associated with a significant increased in heart disease. Women with total cholesterol levels of 265 or more have been found to have this disease two or three times as often as women with levels of about 200. Even mildly elevated levels, of about 235, had about 70% higher rates of heart disease, than normal.
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