Cholesterol Archive

A diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables can help reduce your risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. And it may not take a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to do the job. A Harvard study in the December 2013 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the amount of produce people ate was more important than the types of produce. People who ate the most fruits and vegetables each week (five servings or more) had up to a 17% lower risk of developing heart disease than people who ate fewer servings. "It's likely from compounds found in these healthy food choices, which may explain why foods usually come out more beneficial in health studies than studies of pills that test a single compound extracted from foods and put into a pill," says Dr. Eric Rimm, one of the study authors and an associate professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. Despite the finding about quantity, Dr. Rimm and his colleagues also noted that specific fruits and vegetables were associated with a lower risk of heart disease, including citrus fruit, dark green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach, and vegetables loaded with beta carotene, such as carrots and sweet potatoes. So which should you focus on, variety or quantity? "Clearly to get the most benefit, at least a few different types of fruits and vegetables should be in your diet," he says.

You're not alone if you're wondering whether you're affected by new guidelines about statins, the drugs that lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart and artery disease. In November 2013, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology released controversial new guidelines about who should take the drugs. As had previous guidelines, they advise doctors to prescribe statins for those with heart disease or very high LDL cholesterol (190 mg/dL or higher), as well as for middle-aged adults with type 2 diabetes.

But for other seemingly healthy adults, the guidelines change. Statins now are recommended not based on a person's "bad" or LDL cholesterol level, but rather on a person's risk for heart disease and stroke. That's because people can have normal cholesterol levels but still be at increased risk, and because statins protect the heart by means other than lowering cholesterol.

Guidelines for taking cholesterol-lowering drugs now target overall risk rather than cholesterol values.

Your recovery after a heart attack doesn't end when you leave the hospital. To protect your heart over the long term, follow these steps.

Having a heart attack is life-altering experience. More than likely, you'll spend the days and weeks after your discharge from the hospital flooded with new information on your heart health and medical care. You'll also be learning to cope with your identity as a heart attack survivor.

These artery-clogging fats may linger in the food supply for a while. Learn how to avoid them.

People who take a cholesterol-lowering statin drug are slightly more likely to develop cataracts, according to a study in JAMA Ophthalmology. A cataract is cloudiness in the natural lens of the eye that impairs vision.

Statins cut the risk of heart disease by lowering "bad" LDL cholesterol. Some past studies have linked statins to cataracts; others found no connection. To investigate further, the researchers matched about 7,000 people who were prescribed statins to an equal number of people who did not take statins. Over six years, statin users had a slightly higher chance of being diagnosed with cataracts: (35.5%) compared with non-users (33.5%).

Q. During a recent appointment, my cardiologist heard a sound in my neck and sent me for an ultrasound, which showed a narrowing in my carotid artery. The doctor said this means I'm at risk for a stroke. Because I'm already taking all the right medicines, his only recommendation was getting another ultrasound in a year. But if the narrowing gets worse and I have a stroke, won't that be too late?

A. The carotid arteries, found on either side of the neck, are the main supply route for blood to reach the brain. If cholesterol-laden plaque clogs one of these arteries, it sometimes produces a distinctive sound (called a bruit [BROO-ee]) that a doctor can detect with a stethoscope. That finding usually prompts an ultrasound.

Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Learn how you can capitalize on these gains for years to come.

You did it! You gave up cigarettes. Just by quitting, you've made a huge stride in improving your health and extending your life. After all the hard work you've done, make sure you take all steps necessary to reap the benefits of a smoke-free lifestyle for years to come.

What the location and severity reveals about your health.

If you're concerned about your heart, a sharp twinge in your chest may give you pause. If it's fleeting, it's probably nothing to worry about. But is that uncomfortable ache under your breastbone just heartburn—or a heart attack? It's often hard to tell. Understanding the underlying causes, symptoms, and duration of these two conditions—and others that cause similar sensations elsewhere in the body—can help you deal with the pain calmly and safely.