Consumer Information Center So You Have High Blood Cholesterol

Bile Acid Sequestrants: One type of cholesterol-lowering medication, including cholestyramine and colestipol. The sequestrants bind with cholesterol-containing bile acids in the intestines and remove them in bowel movements.

Calories: Units of measurement that represent the amount of energy the body is able to get from foods. Different nutrients in foods provide different amounts of calories. Carbohydrates and protein provide about 4 calories per gram, while fat (bother saturated and unsaturated) yields about 9 calories per gram.

Carbohydrate: One of the nutrients that supply calories to the body. Carbohydrates may be simple or complex. Complex carbohydrates also are called starch and fiber, which come from plants and can be found in whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice, dried peas, and beans, corn, lima beans, fruits, and vegetables.

Cholesterol: A soft, waxy substance. The body makes enough cholesterol to meet its needs. Cholesterol is used in the manufacture of hormones, bile acid, and vitamin D. It is present in all parts of the body, including the nervous system, muscle, skin, liver, intestines, and heart.

• Blood cholesterol - Cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream. It is made in the liver and absorbed from the food you eat. The blood carries it for use by all parts of the body. A high level of blood cholesterol leads to atherosclerosis and an increased risk of heart disease.

• Dietary cholesterol - Cholesterol in the food you eat. It is present only in foods of animal origin, not those of plant origin. Dietary cholesterol, like dietary saturated fat, raises blood cholesterol, which increases the risk for heart disease.

Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT): Treatment with he hormone estrogen, which has many effects, one of which is cholesterol lowering. It includes different amounts of estrogen and progestin, two hormones produced normally by women who have menstrual periods. ERT is given only to women who have gone through menopause. ERT may help prevent heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol levels, especially LDL.

Fat: One of the nutrients that supply calories to the body. The body needs only small amount of fat. Foods contain different types of fat, which have different effect on blood cholesterol levels. These include:

• Total fat - The sum of the saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats present in food. All foods have a varying mix of these three types.

• Saturated fat - A type of fat found in greatest amounts in the skin, whole-milk dairy products, lard, and in some vegetable oils, including coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils. Saturated fat raises blood cholesterol more than anything else eaten.

• Unsaturated fat - A type of fat that is usually liquid at refrigerator temperature. Monounsaturate fat and polyunsaturated fat are two kinds of unsaturated fat. When used in place of saturated fat, monunsaturated and polyunsaturated fats help to lower blood cholesterol levels.

• Monounsaturated fat - An unsaturated fat that is found in greatest amount in food from plants, including olive and canola oil.

• Polyunsaturated fat - An unsaturated fat found in greatest amounts in foods from plants, including safflower, sunflower, corn, and soybean oils.

Fibric Acid Derivatives: One type of cholesterol-lowering drug. It includes gemfibrozil. The fibric acids lower triglycerides and raise HDLs.

HMG CoA Reductase Inhibitors: See "Statins."

Lipids: Fatty substances, including cholesterol and triglycerides, that are present in blood and body tissues.

Lipoproteins: Protein-coated packages that carry fat and cholesterol through the bloodstream. Lipoproteins are classified according to their density.

• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) - Lipoproteins that contain a small amount of cholesterol and carry cholesterol away from body cells and tissues to the liver for the excretion from the body. A low level of HDL increases the risk of heart disease, so the higher the HDL level, the better. HDL is sometimes called the "good" cholesterol.

• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) - Lipoproteins that contain most of the cholesterol in the blood. LDL, the "bad" cholesterol, carries cholesterol to the tissues of the body including the arteries. For this reason, a high level of LDL increases the risk of heart disease.

Lipoprotein Profile: A test that uses blood from the arm to measure your total, HDL-, and LDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. The test requires a fast for 9-12 hours beforehand. Nothing can be consumed but water, or coffee or tea with no cream or sugar.

Milligram (mg): A unit of weight equal to one-thousandth of a gram. There are about 28,350 mg in 1 ounce. Dietary cholesterol is measured in milligrams.

Milligrams/Deciliter (mg/dL): The measure used to express cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. It stands for the weight of cholesterol in milligrams in a deciliter of blood. A deciliter is one-tenth of a liter or about one-tenth of a quart.

Nicontinic Acid: A cholesterol-lowering medicine that reduces total and LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels and also raises HDL-cholesterol levels. This is the same substance as Niacin or vitamin B1, but in doses that lower cholesterol, it should only be used with your doctor's supervision.

Risk Factor: A habit, trait, or condition in a person that is associated with an increased chance (or risk) for a disease.

Statins: One type of cholesterol-lowering drug that includes lovastatin, pravastatin, and simvastatin. These drugs lower LDL levels by limiting the amount of cholesterol the body can make.

Triglycerides: Lipids carried through the bloodstream to tissues. Most of the body's fat tissue is in the form of triglycerides, stored for use as energy. Triglycerides are obtained primarily from fat in foods.