National Cholesterol Education Month --- September 2000
High blood cholesterol increases the risk for heart disease, the leading cause
of death in the United States. Lowering cholesterol levels will reduce new heart
disease events and deaths. To increase awareness of the importance of
monitoring cholesterol levels and steps to achieve or maintain healthy levels, the
National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) is sponsoring National
Cholesterol Education Month during September.
NCEP recommends that persons aged >20 years have their cholesterol
measured at least once every 5 years. A blood cholesterol level <200 mg/dL is
considered desirable, a level 200--239 mg/dL is borderline-high, and a level
>240 mg/dL is high (1). Cholesterol levels may be lowered through dietary modification, physical
activity, weight control, or drug treatment. Dietary modification is the optimal method
for lowering cholesterol (1).
During September, CDC-funded state cardiovascular health programs and
their partners will highlight programs that raise awareness and understanding about
high blood cholesterol as a risk factor for heart disease.
Additional information about how cholesterol may affect health and about other risk factors for heart disease
is available from the American Heart Association World-Wide Web site at http://www.americanheart.org/cholesterol*, NCEP at
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncep/index.htm, and CDC at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/cvd.
References
National Institutes of Health. Second report of the expert
panel on detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood
cholesterol in adults. Bethesda, Maryland: US Department
of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute, 1993 (NIH publication no. 93-3095).
* Reference to sites of non-CDC organizations on the Internet are provided as a service
to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply endorsement of these organizations
or their programs by CDC or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is
not responsible for the content of pages found at these sites.
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