Many Australians may not be aware that they have high cholesterol according to results released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) this week.
A groundbreaking biomedical collection in the Australian Health Survey has revealed an important but frightening insight into Australia’s heart health.
One in three Australian adults, or 5.6 million people, had high total cholesterol levels. Yet only one in every ten people actually knew that they had high cholesterol levels.
The cardiovascular tests showed that the majority of Australians over 45 years old were at risk of heart disease. Three in every four Australians aged 45 and over had risk factors for heart disease. They were either taking cholesterol lowering medication, or their blood tests results showed that they had one or more of high total cholesterol, high ‘bad’ cholesterol, low ‘good’ cholesterol or high triglycerides (fats in the blood).
Unfortunately the results were not much brighter for younger people with almost one in two of those aged under 45 years old having at least one of these risk factors.
Time to have a health check-up with your GP or start lowering your cholesterol levels? A simple blood test organised by your GP will determine your cholesterol levels. Our dietitian can assist you with planning a balanced diet that may reduce or maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Article written by Dr Melanie Woollam (Osteopath)
References:
Australian Bureau of Statistics www.abs.gov.au
Heart Foundation www.heartfoundation.org.au
