Treat Yourself to Better Heart Health This Holiday Season: Cenla Health - Alexandria, Pineville, Lou

Treat Yourself to
Better Heart Health
this Holiday Season

(ARA) - With the holiday season just around the corner we can look forward to office gatherings, family festivities and weekend getaways to fill the void of a summer passed.  While this month long merriment can be a great way to break up the monotony of cold winter days, it can also disrupt eating and exercise habits.
 
Exercising daily and eating healthy are great ways to help reduce your risk for heart disease, but it can be tempting to let healthy habits slide during the holiday season.  That's why the National Lipid Association is encouraging people to know the facts about cholesterol to ensure happy and healthy holidays. 

Most people know about good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL), but many forget to consider another important heart disease risk factor: triglycerides. Triglycerides are a lipid, or fat in the blood, that are produced by your body as it digests the things that you eat and drink.  Triglycerides are also an independent risk factor for heart disease.  

Recent studies published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" (JAMA) show that high non-fasting triglyceride levels increase the risk for heart attack, stroke and even death, particularly in women. 

If you can't seem to make it through December without taking your hand out of the cookie jar, why not commit to living a healthier lifestyle in 2008? Not only will you be doing something good for your heart, but you may even notice a trimmer waistline as well.

Smaller waist size isn't just about looks, studies show a link between an enlarged waistline and elevated triglyceride levels. People with both of these risk factors are more than three times as likely to suffer from serious cardiovascular disease or even death. 

"These studies provide us with information about the heart risks posed by triglycerides, which is especially important going into the holidays when people tend to overindulge and gain weight," says Dr. Jerome Cohen of St. Louis University.

Don't push the panic button just yet though. It's okay to treat yourself to a slice of Aunt Sally's famous pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, or toast a glass of eggnog at the company holiday party, but the National Lipid Association wants you to check your cholesterol and triglyceride levels first. Triglycerides are measured as part of a standard cholesterol test. Normal triglyceride levels are less than 150.

High triglycerides levels are typically treated through a combination of eating and exercising lifestyle changes, and when necessary, with medications.

You don't have to travel far or spend a lot to find the gift that keeps on giving -- treat yourself to better heart health and you'll enjoy this holiday season and many more to come.

Visit www.lipid.org to learn more about cholesterol and triglycerides or to find a lipid specialist who can assess your lipid profile and set up a treatment plan that's right for you.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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