African American Women, Heart Disease, and High Cholesterol Death rates from heart disease are higher for African Americans than for Whites and heart disease is the leading cause of death for African American women. By living a healthy lifestyle, you can significantly reduce your likelihood of developing heart disease. A large body of research has shown that elevated blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for the development of heart disease. Heart disease refers to the condition in which there is an insufficient amount of blood flow to the heart, resulting in damage to the heart muscle. These cholesterol deposits narrow the arteries and slow down blood flow.
Cholesterol is fat like material present in the blood and in most tissues of our body.
It is an important component of cell membranes and serves as a building block for some hormones. Our liver produces all of the cholesterol that we need, but we also take in cholesterol by eating meats, dairy foods, egg yolks, poultry, and fish. In general, increased cholesterol levels correlate with increased risk of heart disease. The following table will provide basic guidelines to assess the significance of your total cholesterol level. Some increased risk of heart disease.