Dietary cholesterol, cardiovascular risk; need to rethink our approach: Dr Sushil

STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: In order to educate the masses regarding the ever rising incidence of cardiac ailments due to dietary cholesterol levels, Head Department of Cardiology SSH Jammu, Dr Sushil Sharma organized a screening cum cardiac awareness camp at Shiv Mandir, Village Sangrampur Block Marh.
More than 250 people were screened, evaluated, diagnosed and free medicines were given as per the requirements.
While interacting with the patients, Dr Sushil stated that the Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading cause of death.
For years, dietary cholesterol was implicated in increasing blood cholesterol levels leading to the elevated risk of CVD, he said adding that there are several types of lipids.
The main ones you’ve probably heard about are “good cholesterol” and “bad cholesterol.” Good cholesterol is called high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Your HDLs carry cholesterol to your liver. Your liver keeps your cholesterol levels balanced. It makes enough cholesterol to support your body’s needs and gets rid of the rest. You must have enough HDLs to carry cholesterol to your liver. If your HDLs are too low, you’ll have too much cholesterol circulating in your blood. Bad cholesterol is called low-density lipoprotein (LDL). This is the culprit that makes plaque form in your arteries. Having too many LDLs can lead to heart disease over time.
He further added that when to get your cholesterol checked, High cholesterol can start in childhood or adolescence. That’s why current guidelines suggest beginning screenings during childhood. Get your cholesterol checked every five years starting at age nine. A child whose parents have high cholesterol or a history of heart problems may begin even sooner.
For adult males: Get your cholesterol checked every five years until age 45. From age 45 to 65, get checked every one to two years. After age 65, get checked every year. For adult females: Get checked every five years until age 55. From age 55 to 65, get checked every one to two years. After age 65, get checked every year
Dr Sushil Sharma in his concluding remarks told that people should talk with healthcare provider about the best way to lower cholesterol. Some people only need some simple lifestyle changes like eating less saturated fat. Others need lifestyle changes plus medication. People with medical conditions that affect their cholesterol may need a more complex approach.
Prominent Member of the area Mahant Biplav Kumar, Kamlesh Nand Maharaj, Bishan Shastri, Ashwani Kumar, Tejinder Singh, Pandit Makhan Lal, Ashwani Sharma, Sahil Brad appreciated the efforts of Dr Sushil and his team for conducting cardiac awareness cum health check up camp in their locality which was appreciated by all section of the society
Others who were part of this camp include Dr Nasir Ali Choudhary (Cardiologist), Dr Anitipal Singh (Ortho) and Dr Dhaneshwer Kapoor.
Paramedics and volunteers includes Kamal Sharma, Raghav Rajput, Rajkumar, Ranjeet Singh, Harvinder Singh, Sandeep Pal , Akshay Kumar and Lovely Malpotra.