From an interview with
Dr. Alan Blaker
McLeod Cardiology Associates – Florence

We need a small amount of blood cholesterol because the body uses it to perform many functions. Cholesterol builds the structure of cell membranes and makes hormones like estrogen, testosterone and adrenal hormones. Cholesterol also helps your metabolism work efficiently and is essential for your body to produce vitamin D. But it is imperative that we keep our cholesterol levels in a healthy range, according to McLeod Cardiologist Dr. Alan Blaker:

“I think it’s very important to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, whether you have heart disease or don’t have heart disease. For someone who has had a normal cholesterol level in the past, getting your levels checked once a year is fine. But if you have a history of elevated cholesterol levels, particularly if you’re on treatment, we tend to check it every three to six months, depending on how stable you’ve been. 

So the more risk factors you have, the greater your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke. And that’s why it’s important to be so aggressive with some of these modifiable risk factors like smoking and cholesterol. 

Very high triglycerides may be associated with heart disease. Elevated bad cholesterol (the LDL cholesterol) or a low good cholesterol are associated with developing blockage problems and possibly peripheral vascular disease or stroke-related problems. So maintaining healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels is important for a healthy lifestyle and trying to avoid some of these other cardiovascular complications.

Exercise helps improve lipid levels. There’s not a whole lot of medication that raises the good cholesterol or lowers triglycerides, but the best way to raise the good cholesterol and lower triglycerides is with diet and exercise. And we know that even a small increase in the good cholesterol can reduce your risk for a cardiac event. 

We have a lot of different medications now to treat cholesterol. We have certain statins. We also have injectable agents for people who have not been able to reach the goal with a statin or who can’t tolerate statins. And then we have some newer non-statin medications that we can sometimes use. So if someone has not been able to tolerate a statin, that should not stop them from seeking medical care and trying to adjust their diet, maintain their weight, and consider other medical therapy that we now have available.”

To learn more about your cholesterol levels, speak with a cardiologist near you.