As a part of UH Health Fair week, free cholesterol screenings will be available at the University Health Center today for all faculty, staff and students.
‘We expect 200 faculty and students at least,’ said Dr. James Gray, chief physician at the UH Health Center. ‘The more the merrier.’
All participants must bring photo identification and should fast prior to screening for up to 10 hours. Screening will be available from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
‘We won’t get a true base line cholesterol reading without the fasting,’ Gray said.
According to the American Heart Association, cholesterol is a soft, fat-like waxy substance found in the blood and the body’s cells. Good cholesterol, HDL, is vital to a healthy body and is used for producing cell membranes, hormones and other bodily functions.
‘Good Cholesterol will decrease incidents of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke, as well as kidney disease and peripheral vascular disease,’ Gray said.
However, an excess of bad cholesterol, LDL, circulates in the blood and can clog arteries making bad cholesterol a risk factor for coronary heart disease, which can in time lead to a heart attack or stroke as well as other diseases.
Hypercholesterolemia is the medical term for high levels of blood cholesterol. High cholesterol can affect both men and women of any age.
‘Bad Cholesterol will do the opposite of good cholesterol and increase the risk of those diseases,’ Gray said.
The liver and cells produce 75 percent of a person’s cholesterol. The remaining 25 percent comes from diet. Bad cholesterol is produced naturally by a person’s body and can depend on numerous variables including heredity and diet.
Eating saturated fat, trans fats and dietary cholesterol as well as use of tobacco products can increase bad cholesterol. Excessive levels can be controlled by diet, exercise and medicine.
‘People can control their bad cholesterol by controlling the fat intake in their diet and by exercising,’ Gray said.
All food from animals contains cholesterol. Saturated and trans fat from other food products can cause the body to make cholesterol. Maintaining a diet low in cholesterol and eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, high-fiber foods, lean meats and poultry, a weekly serving of fish and fat-free or 1-percent-fat dairy products improves cholesterol and other heart conditions.
Everyone older than 20 should have their cholesterol checked at least once every five years.
Screenings include information about total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, the chemical form of fats contained in food and the body.
‘Everyone who wants to have good health and prevent diseases caused by cholesterol needs to be tested,’ Gray said.
Testing results will be available at the UH Health Center beginning Tuesday.
