SPRINGER: Fitness: Keep a close eye on cholesterol levels

Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in animal tissue and is an important component to the human body.

When cholesterol levels become too high (more than 240 mg/dl), a person is then at a higher risk for a heart attack or stroke. There are many ways to improve cholesterol levels through exercise, diet and medication.

Cholesterol is a necessary evil in the body. It is necessary to digest fats from foods, make hormones, build cell walls and participate in other processes for maintaining a healthy body.

There are actually four components to cholesterol that include: HDL, the "good" cholesterol, LDL, the "bad" cholesterol, and triglycerides, "the ugly" that increase the risk for heart disease and finally total cholesterol. Although a person's total cholesterol might be considered high, it is also important to look at the ratios of the components HDL:LDL.

High levels of LDL (high-density lipoprotein) is a major contributing factor of heart disease. The cholesterol forms plaque in the heart's blood vessels, which restricts or blocks the supply of blood to the heart.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates that 90 million American adults, roughly half the adult population have elevated cholesterol levels. Specific risk factors for developing high cholesterol include a family history of high cholesterol, obesity, alcoholism, lack of regular exercise and smoking.

Cholesterol is produced in the liver and overproduction may occur even in people who limit their intake of high cholesterol foods.

The first step in lowering your total cholesterol level is to get active. Activity forces more blood to flow through the arteries giving cholesterol less of an opportunity to build up. When you are exercising and living a lifestyle that is low in risky behaviors (smoking, drinking, etc.) your body works more proficiently.

The next step toward improving your cholesterol level is to make changes in your diet. Eating 10 to 25 grams of dietary fiber per day, especially soluble fiber is a great start.

Although your body produces cholesterol, the majority of excess comes from meats, dairy products, poultry and fish. Plant-based foods that are high in soluble fiber like oranges, pears and carrots, do not contain dietary cholesterol and also help your body excrete cholesterol before it is absorbed into the bloodstream.

Limiting the fat content of your diet will also reduce the amount of dietary cholesterol consumed. Reduce your daily intake of total fat to 25 percent to 35 percent of your total calories provided that you mostly eat unsaturated fat.

Your daily saturated fat consumption should be less than 7 percent of your total calories while your dietary cholesterol intake should be less than 200 milligrams per day.

All of the new food labels should have these values listed. Make a habit of looking at your food labels before eating.

Eating at home and preparing your own meals is usually the best way to control what ingredients are used. Make food when you have free time, then freeze it in meal-size servings for days when you are too busy to cook.

Controlling your cholesterol might put a dent in your habit of eating out with friends and family but imagine how a heart attack would change your life.

Next time you have blood work done, look at your cholesterol levels and the range of each of the components. High cholesterol is sometimes called the "silent killer" because you often will feel no symptoms until you have a heart attack or stroke.

Sometimes good habits are not enough to lower cholesterol levels and your doctor should be able to prescribe a medication that will help lower your cholesterol.

Kim Springer and her husband, Mike, are Certified Personal Trainers and owners of Springer Training. They can be reached at 233-9442 or at their Web site www.springertraining.com.