Your doctor can help you understand your results and guide you on strategies to not only lower your cholesterol but lower your risk of heart disease. Many factors influence what your personal cholesterol or lipid targets should be, and so cholesterol tests should be interpreted in the context of your personal risk. What's considered as normal cholesterol levels? The good news is that you can lower your triglycerides rapidly through dietary changes. High triglycerides can lower levels of HDL and increase heart disease risk and have been linked to atherosclerosis and inflammation of the pancreas. If you are consistently eating more energy than you burn, over time it is likely that you will have high triglycerides. If you consume more energy (kilojoules/calories) from foods and beverages than what you need throughout the day, this energy is converted into triglycerides by the liver and stored within fat cells, ready for use later. Triglycerides are another common source of fat found in the bloodstream, which provide a major source of energy. Having a low HDL level in the blood can be directly linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease. HDLs help to remove the fatty deposits in the arteries and take them to the liver for destruction and removal from the body. HDLs can be thought of as the helper cholesterol, as these particles help to protect against heart disease. You may want to think of LDLs as lousy cholesterol, as these particles, if present in too high amounts, proliferate in the arterial wall leading to the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease. Lipoproteins can be separated into different types depending on their density, into Low Density Lipoproteins (LDLs) and High Density Lipoproteins (HDLs), commonly known as the bad and the good cholesterol. It is in this form that the fats are carried by the blood. Cholesterol - the good and the badįats, including cholesterol, combine with proteins to form lipoproteins. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are encouraged to have this assessment done from the age of 35 years and older. People aged 45 years and older are encouraged to have their cholesterol and risk for heart disease assessed. The Australian Absolute Risk Calculator can help you begin to assess your risk, but we strongly advise you discuss your risk with your GP as this tool does have limitations it doesn't take your family history into account, for example. If these risk factors are present in your life, it's even more important to keep your blood cholesterol levels in check and seek your doctor's advice. Other risk factors for heart disease include increased age, ethnicity, family history, inactivity, smoking, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and obesity. If you discover you have high cholesterol, have family members with high cholesterol, or are not sure if you're at risk, it is advisable you seek your doctor's advice. However, heart disease takes years to develop, so you can take steps to reduce your risk.
This is approximately 30 per cent of all deaths in Australia, and most deaths are occurring in those aged 65 years and over. In 2017, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported 43, 477 deaths in Australia from heart disease. If the artery becomes completely blocked, it can lead to a heart attack and stroke, which can be life threatening. If the blood vessels leading to your heart become too clogged, blood supply to your heart is reduced, which can lead to symptoms such as angina (chest pain). This diagram shows a normal artery with normal blood flow (Figure A) and an artery containing plaque build-up (Figure B). Too much cholesterol in the bloodstream can harden arteries and promote fatty deposits within these arteries, potentially leading to dangerous blockages and narrowing over time called atherosclerosis. Various factors affect blood cholesterol levels including your diet and lifestyle, body weight and genes. Your body needs a small amount of cholesterol to function, but an imbalance between different types of cholesterol in the blood increases the risk of heart disease, one of the leading chronic diseases in Australia today.Ībout ¾ of the cholesterol in your body is made in the liver and a small amount may come from the food you eat. Understanding cholesterol: How good lifestyle practices can help keep your cholesterol in check Firstly, what is cholesterol?Ĭholesterol is an essential type of fat that's carried in the blood.Īll cells in the body need cholesterol it's an essential part of cell walls in our bodies and has important roles, including to produce some hormones, maintain healthy nerve cells and in the synthesis of vitamin D. The content on this page is currently under review to ensure it reflects latest scientific evidence and guidelines.
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