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Cardiovascular Risk Factorse
by Donna P. Mitchell

Any condition that affects the blood vessels and/or heart is cardiovascular disease. Are you recognizing the signs and symptoms? It can be caused by atherosclerosis or commonly know as, hardening of the arteries. Your heart or brain arteries may be clogged by fatty deposits which cause them to become narrow or clogged. The fatty deposits restrict the blood flow and cause the following risk factors:

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All of the above mentioned factors can increase your risk for heart attack, stroke and/or death. Changes in lifestyle and making healthier choices may help control some of these risks.

Cholesterol is found in the blood stream and is a type of fat or lipid. Low Density Lipoprotein, LDL, are the "bad" cholesterol because as they travel in the blood some pieces stick together and can restrict blood flow in the heart and brain and lead to heart attack or stroke. High Density Lipoprotein, HDL, are the "good" cholesterol because they carry excess cholesterol out of the arteries. Triglycerides are other fatty substances which prevent HDL from removing the LDL from the bloodstream.

Here are some links regarding cholesterol which will increase understanding and diagrams.

High Blood Cholesterol
Your Guide to Lowering Cholesterol with TLC

Improving Cardiovascular Health in African Americans-- Package of Seven Easy-To-Read Booklets

Empower Yourself! Learn Your Cholesterol Number
Be Heart Smart! Eat Foods Lower in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol
Learn Your Cholesterol Number (Spanish/English)
Protect Your Heart--Lower Your Blood Cholesterol (Spanish/English)

In regards to obesity and maintaining a healthy weight, here are some additional support sites:

Aim for a Healthy Weight Web Site
Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator

• English Language Version
• Spanish Language Version

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High Cholesterol is only one of the main ingredients for cardiovascular issues. Asking your health care provider for a fasting blood test to check your cholesterol numbers will be a jump start to avoiding heart attack, stroke or death. I'll provide additional links and information for the other risk factors soon.

Peace and Blessings,
Donna

Donna is an inspirational and business development speaker. Areas include psycho-social issues, sales, marketing and customer service. She is currently a primary care pharmaceutical sales representative. Contact Donna at Donna4RealityChk@aol.com

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