"How To Keep Your Cholesterol In Check" - Sheila Dougherty
Cholesterol is one of those things on which headlines can be contradictory and confusing. For a long time, margarine was thought to be healthier than butter, and eggs and red meat were off-limits for anyone keeping track of their health. Now, things seem to have swung in the opposite direction. Ramesh Gowda, MD, director of endovascular services and associate director of interventional cardiology at Mount Sinai Beth Israel gives the facts. He said “HDL is ‘good’ cholesterol and LDL is ‘bad’ cholesterol. LDL cholesterol gets clogged up in arteries and leads to heart attacks or strokes. HDL cholesterol brings this LDL away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it can be broken down and excreted from the body. Thus, HDL cholesterol protects against heart attacks and strokes.” He added that the American Heart Association recommends all adults age 20 or older have their cholesterol, and other traditional risk factors, checked every four to six hours.
- Ramesh Gowda, MD, Director, Endovascular Services, Associate Director, Interventional Cardiology, Mount Sinai Beth Israel