Cholesterol is a waxy 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 in animal foods like meats, whole milk dairy products, and egg yolks can make your cholesterol go up. Cholesterol blocks blood from flowing easily through your body. The higher your cholesterol, the greater your risk for heart disease. Over 25% of American women have blood cholesterol levels high enough to put them at risk for heart disease. Among Mexican American women ages 20-74, almost half have borderline-high risk total cholesterol levels. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol levels of 130 mg/dL or higher are related to a higher risk of coronary heart disease. And 41.6% of Mexican American women have an LDL cholesterol level in that range. Control your cholesterol by exercising, eating foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and keeping a healthy weight. Ask

your health care provider about how often you should get your cholesterol checked.

Publications

For Your Heart - This portion of the NWHIC web site will escort you through a short, confidential survey of questions about your health and lifestyle. Based on your answers, it will provide you with a series of articles detailing the latest information on exercise, nutrition, smoking, diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure and other factors that affect you and your risk for heart disease - all tailored to your needs.

Cut Down on Fat - Not on Taste! - This pamphlet features advice on reducing dietary fat to prevent cardiovascular diseases. It is written in an easy-to-read bilingual format with spanish and english text on facing pages. Este folleto, escrito con dos columnas, una en inglés y la otra en español (bilingüe), le aconseja reducir la cantidad de grasas en su dieta para evitar las enfermedades cardiovasculares.

Frequently Asked Questions - High Blood Cholesterol - This fact sheet provides information on high blood cholesterol and the health risks that it can pose. It provides answers to common questions such as the difference between "good" and "bad" cholesterols, how often levels should be checked, how to interpret the numbers, and how and when diet, exercise and medications are used to manage cholesterol levels in patients.

Heart Truth for Women, The - The campaign brochure, The Heart Truth for Women, is available in English and Spanish. It features women telling their own stories about heart disease and provides information about risk factors and a checklist of key questions to ask your doctor.

High Blood Cholesterol - What You Need to Know - This brochure provides information about how to lower a cholesterol level that is too high. Lowering a cholesterol level that is too high helps to reduce the risk for heart disease. Find out what your cholesterol numbers mean and what treatment your doctor may prescribe to help lower your cholesterol level. Includes a tool to estimate the risk for having a heart attack, and outlines ways to reduce risk. Also contains a list of resources for further information.

La Verdad Acerca del Corazón de la Mujer - Este folleto es una pieza clave en la campaña nacional "La Verdad Acerca del Corazón", creada por el Instituto Nacional del Corazón, los Pulmones y la Sangre (NHLBI, por sus siglas en inglés) para educar a las mujeres acerca de las enfermedades del corazón. El folleto contiene testimonios de mujeres que han sufrido enfermedades del corazón, provee información acerca de los factores de riesgo y también contiene una lista de preguntas que debería hacerle a su medico.

Learn Your Cholesterol Number! - This pamphlet features advice cholesterol management to prevent cardiovascular diseases. It is written in an easy-to-read bilingual format with spanish and english text on facing pages. Este folleto, escrito con dos columnas, una en inglés y la otra en español (bilingüe), le aconseja manejar su nivel de colesterol en la sangre para evitar las enfermedades cardiovasculares.

Live Healthier, Live Longer: Cholesterol Counts for Everyone - Visit this interactive page to find information both for those who want to prevent heart disease and for those with heart disease who want to reduce their risk of having a heart attack. It contains a "how to" guide to lowering cholesterol, recipes, engaging activities such as Create-a-Diet, a resource library, tip sheets on heart healthy life habits, quizzes how to read food labels, frequently asked questions, and much more!

Protect Your Heart--Lower Your Blood Cholesterol! - This pamphlet features advice on reducing high cholesterol to prevent cardiovascular diseases. It is written in an easy-to-read bilingual format with spanish and english text on facing pages. Este folleto, escrito con dos columnas, una en inglés y la otra en español (bilingüe), le aconseja controlar el nivel de colesterol en la sangre para mejorar la salud cardiovascular.

Stay Young at Heart - Cooking the Heart Healthy Way - Carrot-raisin bread? Barbecue chicken? Baked pork chops? Heart-healthy pumpkin pie? Sound too good to be true? The 12 recipes in this packet will convince you that healthy dishes can also be delicious. Each recipe also lists total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calories per serving.

Organizations

American Heart Association

CDC's WISEWOMAN™ - Well Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation

Heart Truth: A National Awareness Campaign for Women about Heart Disease, The

WomenHeart - National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease