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Quiz: Test Your Cholesterol Smarts

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What is the main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol?

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What is the main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol?

  • Your Answer:
  • Correct Answer:

Saturated fat is a bigger culprit than cholesterol in your diet. Meats, dairy products, and other foods from animals can be loaded with it. It's also in some vegetable oils such as palm and coconut oil. But foods with cholesterol can also raise your cholesterol. So most people should cut cholesterol -- in foods such as organ meats, egg yolks, and whole milk -- to less than 300 mg a day.

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Which is highest in saturated fat?

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Which is highest in saturated fat?

  • Your Answer:
  • Correct Answer:

Cheese contains a lot of saturated fat. Just one small piece of cheddar cheese, for instance, could contain nearly 30 mg. In fact, cheese is the biggest source of saturated fat in the typical American diet. Choose low-fat or non-fat cheeses, or consider skipping cheese.

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High cholesterol is mostly a man's problem.

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High cholesterol is mostly a man's problem.

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Before about age 50, men tend to have higher total cholesterol than women. But women's "bad" cholesterol tends to rise with menopause when the female hormone estrogen declines. After about age 50, women usually have higher cholesterol than men of the same age.

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What is the main symptom of high cholesterol?

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What is the main symptom of high cholesterol?

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There are no specific symptoms of high cholesterol. To know if your cholesterol is too high, you have to have a blood test.

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At what age should you start having your cholesterol levels tested?

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At what age should you start having your cholesterol levels tested?

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  • Correct Answer:

Although cholesterol levels generally increase with age, you don't have to be older to have high cholesterol. Even children can be at risk -- especially if they have a family history of high cholesterol and heart disease. Everyone should start getting cholesterol tests at age 20 -- or earlier -- according to the American Heart Association.

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Your body needs cholesterol.

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Your body needs cholesterol.

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Cholesterol is waxy, fat-like material that your body needs to make hormones, vitamin D, and acids for digesting food. But your body makes all the cholesterol it needs. You don't need to add to it in your diet.

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The higher your HDL cholesterol, the greater your risk of heart disease.

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The higher your HDL cholesterol, the greater your risk of heart disease.

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HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is actually the "good" cholesterol. An HDL level of 60 mg/dL (milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood) or above reduces your risk of heart disease.

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LDL cholesterol is called "bad" cholesterol because too much in your blood can lead to:

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LDL cholesterol is called "bad" cholesterol because too much in your blood can lead to:

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Too much LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol raises your risk of heart disease.  An LDL level of130 mg/dL or above is considered high. Excess LDL will contribute to the formation of thick, hard buildups, known as plaque, on the walls of your arteries. Your arteries become narrower and harder, so less oxygen-rich blood can flow through. This is known as atherosclerosis -- a leading cause of heart attacks and strokes.

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Eating oatmeal can lower your bad cholesterol.

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Eating oatmeal can lower your bad cholesterol.

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  • Correct Answer:

Soluble fibers can lower blood cholesterol levels. Oatmeal is a good source of soluble fiber. So are beans and many fruits and vegetables. In studies, LDL cholesterol dropped 5% in people who added five to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day to their diet. A bowl of oatmeal and a banana is about 10 grams.

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Which is highest in cholesterol?

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Which is highest in cholesterol?

  • Your Answer:
  • Correct Answer:

Eggs have a lot of cholesterol. In fact, you could eat more than 50 slices of a typical chocolate cream pie (about 6 mg per slice) and still not get as much cholesterol as you'd get from just two eggs (about 212 mg each). Egg whites or yolk-free egg substitutes are a good alternative.

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If you have high cholesterol, you should avoid all fats.

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If you have high cholesterol, you should avoid all fats.

  • Your Answer:
  • Correct Answer:

You need some fat in your diet. Fats supply energy and essential fatty acids, and they help absorb nutrients from the foods you eat. The trick is to eat the best kind of fats. When you can, replace animal fats with plant fats, which can actually help lower cholesterol. Eat as little trans fat as possible, and cut saturated fat to less than 10% of your calories.

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Which can help lower your "bad" cholesterol?

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Which can help lower your "bad" cholesterol?

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Exercise or other regular physical activity can help lower your "bad" LDL cholesterol and raise your "good" HDL cholesterol. Adults should get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on most days of the week. But any regular physical activity lowers your risk of high cholesterol and heart disease.

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What is a good total cholesterol level?

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What is a good total cholesterol level?

  • Your Answer:
  • Correct Answer:

Shoot for a total cholesterol level of less than 200 mg/dl. A level of 200 to 239 mg/dL is considered "borderline high" and 240 mg/dL or more is high.

 

For LDL (bad cholesterol), anything under 100 mg/dL is best. Levels of HDL (good cholesterol) that are lower than 40 mg/dL put men at high risk for heart disease. HDL levels less than 50 mg/dL increase the risk for heart disease in women.

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How do the drugs known as statins improve your cholesterol?

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How do the drugs known as statins improve your cholesterol?

  • Your Answer:
  • Correct Answer:

Statins are the best-known type of cholesterol-lowering medication. They can drop LDL cholesterol by 20% to 55%. Statins help the liver produce less cholesterol and boost its ability to remove LDL cholesterol already in the blood. They also help raise "good" HDL cholesterol.

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Most people with high cholesterol need medication.

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Most people with high cholesterol need medication.

  • Your Answer:
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Most people don't need drugs to lower their cholesterol. Diet, exercising, and losing weight can help do it. The TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) program can guide you on the changes you should make, depending on your risk for heart disease. The main goals are to eat less saturated fat, cholesterol, and get more physically active.

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Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD on January 31, 2012

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This tool does not provide medical advice. See additional information: See additional information

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