COLUMBIA -- September is National Cholesterol Awareness Month, and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control urges South Carolinians to know their numbers and adopt healthy lifestyles to reduce risk of heart attack and stroke.

"High cholesterol affects 37 percent of South Carolina adults, and lowering blood cholesterol results in a two-fold reduction of heart disease risk," said Dory Masters, director of DHEC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Division. "DHEC recommends these steps to keep cholesterol numbers under control: schedule a health screening, eat foods low in cholesterol and saturated fat and free of trans fat, maintain a healthy weight, be physically active and follow your health care professional's advice."

"It's important to understand the difference between the two types of cholesterol: 'good' and 'bad,' and to know the levels of each in your blood," Masters said. "Too much of one type or not enough of the other can put you at risk for coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke. Some cholesterol is produced naturally and can be affected by your family health history, while some of it comes from the food we eat and can be affected by diet and exercise."

DHEC's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Division works with community partners and health care systems to improve the cardiovascular health and quality of life of South Carolinians through the prevention, detection and treatment of risk factors, early identification and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and prevention of recurrent cardiovascular events.

For more information, visit http://www.scdhec.gov/hdsp.

Special to The T&D

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