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The Curious Bag
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According to the American Heart Association, 19.9 million women in the United States have dangerously high levels of blood cholesterol. For women, high levels of cholesterol are associated with serious health problems, including increased risk for heart disease and heart attack, especially after menopause.
The Facts
According to the American Heart Association, women should try to maintain cholesterol levels lower than 200 mg/dL. Cholesterol levels between 201 and 239 mg/dL are considered borderline high; levels higher than 240 g/dL are classified as dangerously high.
Types
Cholesterol levels measure three different kinds of cholesterol present in the body: "bad" cholesterol, or LDL, which can build up and cause blockages in the bloodstream; "good" cholesterol, or HDL, which helps transport LDL out of the body and triglycerides, a kind of fat that's present in the blood.
Considerations
Women tend to have naturally higher levels of HDL in their bodies than men, so measuring total cholesterol doesn't always give the most accurate representation of a woman's cholesterol levels.
Identification
A complete lipoprotein profile, a blood test that usually requires 12 hours of fasting beforehand, measures each type of cholesterol in the blood.
Improvement
A low-fat diet and regular exercise can help women lower bad cholesterol and improve good cholesterol levels.
Source
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