High cholesterol clogs arteries and increases risk of stroke, heart disease, and vascular disease. Cholesterol can be lowered.
Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States.
We turn 40 and our doctors tell us to have our levels checked every year. Everyone from our primary care physician to the U.S. Surgeon General tells us to keep track of LDL and HDL cholesterol. Because of this crucial link, cholesterol needs to be measured in everyone, starting in their late teens. Knowing your cholesterol levels in midlife can pay various health benefits. Perhaps the most crucial advantage of tracking cholesterol is that you can make quick changes should you be nearing, or already living with, high-risk levels.