Ladies, Keep an Eye on That Cholesterol!

Ivanhoe Newswire

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By Betsy Lievense, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Now, even the fittest of females have a good reason to cut down their cholesterol. A new study reveals healthy women with high cholesterol stand a greater chance of suffering a stroke than their low-cholesterol counterparts.

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Researchers at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., studied 27,000 females for 11 years to find out how and why strokes occur in healthy women without heart disease ages 45 and older. The results of the study indicate high total cholesterol levels can increase a previously healthy female's chances of sustaining an ischemic stroke, which occurs when fatty deposits in the heart break free and clog blood vessels in the brain.

"While treatment for high cholesterol has been associated with decreased risk of stroke, past observational studies couldn't prove high cholesterol was a risk factor for stroke," Tobias Kurth, M.D., an assistant professor at Harvard, told Ivanhoe. "I hope our study really shows that there's a clear association between lipid levels and risk of stroke."

Dr. Kurth said the study is important because it motivates women to evaluate their entire cholesterol profile, instead of assuming high levels of HDL cholesterol, or "good" cholesterol, will counterbalance the effects of large amounts of LDL cholesterol, or "bad" cholesterol.

Luckily, there are a number of things women can do to lower cholesterol levels. "If you exercise regularly, you influence your cholesterol profile positively," said Dr. Kurth. "Also, a moderate, and I have to underscore moderate, alcohol consumption improves the cholesterol profile."

Maintaining a lean weight, or at least avoiding obesity, can also help keep cholesterol at a healthy level, according to Dr. Kurth.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Tobias Kurth, M.D.; NEUROLOGY, 2007;68:556-562