Feb. 5 - Heart Month: An Ideal Time to Learn About Cholesterol - WMDT 47 News - Delmarva's Choice

Feb. 5 - Heart Month: An Ideal Time to Learn About Cholesterol

GOOD MORNING DELMARVA - Knowing about cholesterol is important to maintain cardiovascular health. That's why American Heart Month is a great time to not just learn about cholesterol, but also to find out your own cholesterol levels.

According to the American Heart Association, high cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. As your blood cholesterol rises, so does your risk. If you have other risk factors, such as high blood pressure, as well as high cholesterol, this risk increases even more.

LDL (bad) cholesterol can slowly build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain, and may combine with other substances to form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the arteries and make them less flexible.

Know your risks: Cholesterol level can be affected by your age, gender, family health history and diet. Typically there are no symptoms to show you that you have high blood cholesterol —that's why it's so important to have your levels checked.