Control High Cholesterol

The following is an Editorial Resource from YourTotalHealth.

The Deadly Combo: High Blood Pressure &
High Cholesterol

Reviewed by: Abdou Elhendy, M.D., PhD, FACC, FAHA

You know that high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels raise your risks of heart disease. But did you know that these two conditions often coexist and that having both conditions can raise your risks of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems much more than either one alone?

Doctors have long said that people with cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or higher have about twice the risk of heart disease as people with total cholesterol of 200 mg/dL or less. A French study of about 200,000 men and women published in the European Heart Journal found that even borderline levels of total cholesterol (200 to 239 mg/dL) increase cardiovascular risks three to four times when combined with borderline high blood pressure, defined as a systolic (top number) blood pressure of 130 to 139 mmHg.

The good news? Ongoing research continues to find that maintaining normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels could prevent about half of all heart attacks and strokes. Bringing your levels into optimal ranges may reduce your risk for these life-threatening events by more than 80 percent.

What's Next:  Nutrition Quiz: What’s the Diet Connection?

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Review date: 06-25-2008