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Health conditions common in
African-American women:

Asthma Breast cancer Cancer Cervical cancer Diabetes Glaucoma and cataracts Heart disease High blood pressure High cholesterol HIV/AIDS Infant death Kidney disease Lupus Mental health problems and suicide Osteoporosis Overweight and obesity Pregnancy-related death Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) Sickle cell anemia Smoking Stroke Tuberculosis (TB) Uterine fibroids Violence

High cholesterol

• More information on high cholesterol

Cholesterol (koh-LESS-tur-ol) is a waxy, fatlike substance found in all parts of the body. It comes from two sources: your body and the food you eat. Your liver makes all the cholesterol your body needs. Eating too much cholesterol, which comes from animal foods like meats, whole milk dairy products, and egg yolks, can make your cholesterol go up. Being overweight and lack of physical activity also can make cholesterol go up. Too much cholesterol in the blood blocks it from flowing easily through your body. The higher your cholesterol, the more likely you are to get heart disease. Triglycerides (treye-GLIH-suh-ryds) are another kind of blood fat that travels with cholesterol. Too high levels also can raise heart disease risk.

High cholesterol has no symptoms. Everyone 20 and older should have their cholesterol levels checked at least once every five years. Ask your doctor how often you should have your cholesterol levels checked.

Women need to know their cholesterol levels and what they mean. Your total cholesterol level actually comes from two different types of cholesterol: HDL and LDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is "good." It helps protect your heart. So, you want to keep it high — above 40 md/dL. But LDL cholesterol is really bad for your heart. So, you want to keep it low — below 130 mg/dL. You have borderline high cholesterol if the total is 200–239 md/dL. You have dangerously high cholesterol if the total is 240 md/dL or more. A triglyceride level greater than 150mg/dL is considered high.

Nearly half of African-American women have a total cholesterol level that is too high. Here are some things you can do to improve cholesterol levels:

• Keep a healthy weight.
• Eat healthy. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Limit fats, especially saturated fats and trans fats. Eat chicken, turkey, and lean meats. Avoid organ meats, egg yolks, whole milk dairy products, fats like butter or lard, and packaged or processed foods. Limit sodium (salt).
• Make physical activity a habit. Health benefits are gained by doing the following each week:
  • 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity
    or
    
  • 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity
    or
    
  • A combination of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity
    and
    
  • Muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days of the week
• If needed, take medicines to lower cholesterol as prescribed by your doctor.
• Don't smoke. If you smoke, try to quit. For help along the way, check out our Quitting Smoking section.

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More information on high cholesterol

Explore other publications and websites

• Heart Healthy Home Cooking African American Style — Prepare your favorite African-American dishes in ways that protect you and your family from heart disease and stroke. These recipes will show you how to cut back on saturated fat, cholesterol, and salt, and still have great-tasting food. Delicious foods from spicy southern barbecued chicken to sweet potato pie are included.
  http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/chdblack/cooking.htm
• High Blood Cholesterol — What You Need to Know — This publication is based on clinical guidelines for cholesterol testing and management. It will help you find out what your cholesterol numbers mean and what treatment your doctor may prescribe to help lower your cholesterol level. The brochure also includes a tool to estimate the risk of having a heart attack and outlines ways to reduce risk.
  http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/wyntk.htm
• The Heart Truth for African American Women: An Action Plan — This fact sheet provides heart disease facts and figures specific to African-American women. It provides statistics on heart-related issues, as well as a checklist of questions to ask your doctor to begin your action plan for a healthy heart.
  http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/educational/hearttruth/downloads/pdf/factsheet-actionplan-aa.pdf

Connect with other organizations

• American Heart Association
  http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/
• CDC's WISEWOMAN — Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation
  http://www.cdc.gov/wisewoman/
• Heart Truth
  http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/educational/hearttruth/
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
  http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/index.htm
• WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women With Heart Disease
  http://www.womenheart.org/

Content last updated May 18, 2010.

Resources last updated May 18, 2010.

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