| High Cholesterol
Monitoring cholesterol levels is very important to maintain good
heart health. It is especially important in HIV because the virus
itself and the medications used to fight the virus can cause high
cholesterol levels.
Types of Cholesterol
- LDL Cholesterol: Just remember L stands for lousy.
Your LDL cholesterol is a fat in your blood that circulates around your
body and can cause damage and clog your arteries.
- HDL Cholesterol: Even though this is a
type of cholesterol, having low levels of
this is a problem and can increase your
risk of heart disease. The HDL
cholesterol actually gathers up all the
cholesterol floating around in your body
and sends it to your liver to be broken
down and excreted.
- Total Cholesterol: When you add your
HDL and LDL levels together you
essentially get your total cholesterol
level. High HDL levels can cause your
total cholesterol levels to be high, so you need your HDL and LDL also to tell you the whole story.
Causes of High Cholesterol
- HIV Virus
- HIV Meds
- High Saturated Fat Intake
- Being Over Weight
- Physical Inactivity
- Aging
- Gender
o Men and post menopausal women have same risk
o Pre menopausal women have lower risk
What Should My Cholesterol Level Be?
| Total Cholesterol: |
<200 |
Good |
| |
200-239 |
Borderline High |
| |
>240 |
High |
| |
|
|
| LDL Cholesterol: |
<100 |
Good |
| |
100-129 |
Above Optimal |
| |
130-159 |
Borderline High |
| |
>160 |
High |
| |
|
|
| HDL Cholesterol: |
>40 |
Good |
| |
< 40 |
At Risk |
How Fat Affects Cholesterol Levels
- Saturated Fat: found in animal products such as fatty meats
and whole fat dairy products(milk, cheese, butter), palm and coconut
oil(used in processed candy bars, cakes and cookies).
o Raises LDL cholesterol
- Trans Fat: a fat created by turning
liquid vegetable oil into a solid butter like
spread to be used for margarine or to
solidify baked goods.
Also found in fried foods because oil
used to fry is reheated to a high
temperature so many times that
trans fat forms. Any food with the word
hydrogenated in the list of ingredients
has trans fat.
o Raises LDL cholesterol and lowers HDL cholesterol
- Monunsaturated Fat: A good type of fat that you can include
in your diet regularly. Found in canola oil, olive oil, almonds,
avocado and peanuts
o Lowers LDL cholesterol and may increase HDL.
- Polyunsaturated Fat: Also a good type of fat that can be
included in the diet. They are found in soybeans, nuts and seeds in addition
to the foods listed below.
o Lowers LDL cholesterol, but may also lower HDL
What are Omega-3 fats? They are types of polyunsaturated
fats that are particularly effective in lowering LDL cholesterol.
· EPA/DHA (Fish Oil): tuna, salmon, mackerel, halibut
· ALA: flaxseed and walnuts
Other Foods That Lower Cholesterol
- Soluble Fiber: found in the flesh of fruits, oatmeal
and inside of beans. Trap cholesterol and keep it from being absorbed in the body.
- Soy: including at least 1 serving of tofu or soy
milk can lower cholesterol
Helpful Hints
Meat: stick to lean meats such as
chicken without the skin, light meat turkey and fish
rather than ground meat, bacon, hot dogs and sausage.
Butter: replace with margarine that is
trans fat free such as Smart Beat, Smart Balance, Take Control
or Benecol.
Cooking Oil: Choose olive oil and canola
oil instead of soybean, corn or safflower because olive and
canola have a better balance of poly and monounsaturated fats.
Milk Products: Choose skim or 1% milk
and low fat cheese such as Alpine Lace, Kraft made with 1–2%
milk or part skim mozzarella.
Eggs: Limit intake to 3 egg yolks per week
and if you eat eggs more often, choose egg whites instead.
Mayonnaise & Sour Cream: Choose low fat
mayo and fat free sour cream to add to
sandwiches and baked potatoes.
Revised 5/06
© 2006 Gay Men's Health Crisis |
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