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Video Spotlight:Fats and Cholesterol in Your Diet: Eating to Improve Your CholesterolSafe Cholesterol Levels: Know Your Numbers

In This Issue: } What Do My Cholesterol Results Mean? } Food for the Heart } Short Workouts Can Be Good for Your Heart

A simple blood test can reveal the hidden details of your cholesterol. But knowing what the numbers mean is not so simple.

Types of cholesterol measuredYou would think that a lab test for cholesterol would simply tell you how much cholesterol you have. And it does, but wait: There are several cholesterol measurements. These are:• Totalcholesterol•HDLcholesterol• LDLcholesterol

Total cholesterolHDLcholesterolisthe“good”cholesterol.It’scarriedonhigh-densitylipoproteins.Havingmoreofitmeansyou’remorelikelytohavealowerriskofcoronaryheartdisease(CHD).

LDLcholesterolisthe“bad”cholesterol.It’scarriedonlow-densitylipoproteins.You’rebetteroffwithlowerlevelsofLDLcholesterol,becauseit’slinkedtoahigher risk of heart disease.

Note that total cholesterol does not equal HDLcholesterolplusLDLcholesterol.Thisisbecausetherearestillmoretypesofcholesterol,whichwewon’ttalkabouthere.

Cholesterol

What Do My Cholesterol Results Mean? Know the difference between “LDL” and “HDL” cholesterol? Here’s information to help you make sense of your numbers.

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Your cholesterol numbersCholesterol is measured as milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood, whichisabbreviatedlikethis:mg/dL.

Alipidprofiletest(totalcholesterol,HDLcholesterolandtriglycerides)isdoneaftera9to12hourfast.TheHDL,total cholesterol and triglycerides can be measured and thentheLDLcanbecalculatedusingthesenumbers.

Here is what the levels mean.Ifyourtotal cholesterol is:

200 mg/dL or less Desirable cholesterol level

Between 200 and 239 mg/dL Borderline high cholesterol level

240 mg/dL or more High

IfyourHDL cholesterol is:

Less than 40 mg/dL Too low

60 mg/dL or higher High- Beneficial ThegoalforyourLDLleveldependsonyourotherriskfactors for heart disease.

Ifyouare20yearsoldorolder,haveno heart disease and your LDL cholesterol is:

Less than 100 mg/dL Desirable

100 - 129 mg/dL Near optimal/above optimal

130 - 159 mg/dL Borderline high

160 - 189 mg/dL High

190 mg/dL and above Very high

Ifyoualready have heart disease, diabetes or problems with your circulation,thenyourLDLcholesterolshouldbe 100 mg/dL or less.

TriglyceridesTriglyceridesareanotherfattysubstanceinthebloodthataffectsyourriskforheartdisease. Most fat in food, as well as in your body, is present in the form of triglycerides. Highlevelsareamatterof concern and are linked to the risk of heart disease, just as with cholesterol.

Elevatedtriglyceridesarecommon.Triglyceridesmaybe elevated even ifthetotalandHDLcholesterolarenormal. So there is no way to know if a person has high triglycerides unless it is measured.

Ifyourtriglyceridesaretested,hereishowyoucaninterpret the numbers, according to the Third Report oftheExpertPanelontheDetection,Evaluation,andTreatmentofHighBloodCholesterolinAdults:

Less than 150 mg/dL Normal

150 - 199 mg/dL Borderline

200 - 499 mg/dL High

More than 500 mg/dL Very high

TheAmericanHeartAssociationnowsuggeststhatatriglyceride levelbelow100mg/dLisoptimal.

Screening for high cholesterol is advised for everyone 20yearsorageorolder.Remember,onlyyourdoctorshould decide the best way to evaluate and interpret your cholesterol levels. Speak to your doctor if you have any questions about your cholesterol levels. Also discuss with the doctor the best way, given your unique needs, to reduce your risk for heart disease.

What Do My Cholesterol Results Mean? (continued)

SOURCES:•NationalInstitutesofHealth.Thirdreportofthenationalcholesterol

educationprogram(NCEP).Detection,evaluationandtreatmentofhigh blood cholesterol in adults.

•MillerM,StoneNJ,BallantyneC,etal.Triglyceridesandcardiovasculardisease:ascientificstatementfromtheAmericanHeartAssociation.

Copyright©2015myOptumHealth.

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Eating well is an excellent way to help protect your heart. More than one third of Americans have either cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure, or both. Havingahealthydietandlifestylehelpsreducethechance of developing those deadly diseases.

It’simportanttoeatavarietyofnutrient-richfoods.Guidelines for heart health encourage people to eat a diet that emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and includeslow-fatdairy,poultry,fish,legumes,nontropicalvegetable oils and nuts. Experts also recommend that people limit sodium, sweets, sugary beverages and red meats.

Herearesomesuggestionsforputtingtheserecommendations into practice:

Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fiber•Aimtofillhalfyourplatewithfruitsandvegetables.

• Colorisagood—darkgreen,redandorangevegetables are especially nutritious.

• Yourvegetablescanbe raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned or dried; whole, cut-upor mashed.

• Yourfruitscanbefresh,canned, frozenordried;whole,cut-uporpureed.

• Don’tforgetbeansandpeaswhichhavefiberandprotein. They can be dry, canned or frozen.

• Makeatleasthalfyourgrainswholeformorefiberandnutrients. Eat less refined grains.

Lean meats, poultry, fish, dairy• Withpoultry,chooselightmeatoverdarkmeat.

Lightmeatisleaner.Eitherway,don’tforgettotake offtheskin.

• Pick“choice”or“select”gradesofbeef.Buy“round” or“loin”cutsofbeeforpork.Cutoffthevisiblefatbefore eating.

• Eatfishorshellfishatleasttwiceaweek.Salmon,trout, oysters and herring are good choices because theyarehighinhealthyomega-3fattyacidsandlowerin mercury. (Note: pregnant women are advised to eat 8to12ouncesofseafoodeachweek.Avoidtilefish,shark, swordfish and king mackerel, which are high inmercury.Whitealbacoretunahaslessmercury,butpregnantwomenshouldlimititto6ouncesperweek.)

•Usefat-freeorlow-fatmilk,cheeseandyogurt.

Food for the Heart Heart-healthy eating involves more than slashing fat and cholesterol. Learn what foods may help keep you healthy.

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Food for the Heart (continued)

Oils and healthy fats• Limityourintakeofsaturatedfats.Expertsrecommend

peopleaimforaneatingpatternwhere5percentto6percent of calories come from saturated fats. Saturated fats are in red meat, bacon, poultry skin, butter and high-fatdairy.

• Lowerthepercentageofcaloriesthatyougetfromsaturated fats. You may replace the saturated fat with polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats and carbohydrates (preferably whole grains instead of refinedcarbohydrates).Polyunsaturatedfatsareinsoybean and corn oils, salmon, trout and flaxseed. Avocados, nuts, olive and canola oil are good sources of monounsaturated fats.

• Lowerthepercentageofcaloriesthatyougetfromtransfats.Transfatscanbesynethicornatural.Synthetictrans fats are found in partially hydrogenated oils used in some margarines, snack foods and prepared desserts. Natural trans fats are found in meat and milk products.

EatingplansliketheDASH(DietaryApproachestoStopHypertension)dietarypattern,theAmericanHeartAssociationdietortheU.S.DepartmentofAgriculturefoodpatternallfitthebill.TheUSDAfoodpatternoffersoptionsforpeoplewhoarelacto-ovovegetarianorvegan.

Conversely,cutbackonfoodsthatdon’toffermuchnutrition or may increase the risk of developing certain chronic conditions. Experts advise watching your intake of:

• Added sugar. Most of the sugar in typical American diets are added during processing, preparation or at the table. They help preserve the food or make it taste better. But they also add calories with little nutritional value or fiber.

• Sodium. Most Americans consume more sodium than they need. Sodium is added mainly during the preparation, preservation of foods or at the table. Current dietary guidelines call for Americans to consumelessthan2,300mgofsodiumdaily.Peoplewhoareoverageof50,orareAfricanAmericanorhavehigh blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease shouldaimfor1,500mgofsodiumaday.

• Solid fats. Most fats with a high percentage of saturated fatortransfataresolidatroomtemperature.That’swhythey’recalled“solidfats.”Theseincludebutter,lard, stick margarine and shortening. They add a lot of calories to the diet.

• Alcohol.Ifyouchoosetodrink,dosoinmoderation.That means up to a drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men. Some people should notusealcoholatall.Talkwithyourdoctorifyouhavequestionsaboutalcoholuse—orhavedifficultydrinking in moderation.

SOURCES:•U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture.DietaryguidelinesforAmericans2010.

Accessed:12/10/2014•EckelJM,JakicicJD,ArdVS,etal.2013AHA/ACCGuidelineon

lifestyle management to reduce cardiovascular risk: a report of the AmreicanCollegeofCardiologyandtheAmericanHeartAssociationtaskforceonpracticeguidelines.Circulation.Accessed:12/10/2014

•ChooseMyPlate.gov.Healthyeatingtips.Accessed:12/10/2014Copyright©2015myOptumHealth.

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Most people know that exercise is important for heart health.However,noteveryoneknowsjusthowmuchexerciseisenough.Isit15minutesaday?30minutes?1hour?Timetosettherecordstraight.

Therecommendationisthatalladultsgetatleast150minutesofmoderate-intensityaerobicactivityeachweek.Ataminimum,aimforatleast10minutesatatime.Afterthat,it’syourchoice.Youcoulddo30minutesaday,fivedaysaweek.Ortwo15-minutesessionsaday,fivedaysaweek.Orthree10-minutesessionsadayforfive days.

Be sure to do activities that will strengthen your muscles, too.Lookformoderate-orhigh-intensityactivitiesthatwork all your major muscle groups at least two days a week. The major muscle groups are: legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms.

Yes, 10 or 15 minutes at a time is okayShort bursts of activity can, in fact, help your heart. And mostpeopleshouldbeabletocarveout15minutestwicedailyor10minutesthreetimesdailyforheart-healthyphysical activity.

Exercise can lower your risk for heart disease by reducing heart disease risk factors (high blood pressure and high cholesterolaretwo).Physicalactivitycanactuallyloweryourbloodpressurebyasmuchassomemedications.Itcan also increase your levels of good cholesterol.

Exercise can even improve your blood circulation, which may also reduce your risk for heart disease. For women, regular moderate aerobic exercise is thought to reduce heartdiseaseriskby30to40percent.

Short Workouts Can Be Good for Your Heart What’s not to love about that?

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SOURCES:•CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.Overcomingbarriersto

physicalactivity.Accessed:06/24/2014•CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.Howmuchphysical

activitydoadultsneed?Accessed:06/24/2014•U.S.DepartmentofHealth&HumanServices.2008physicalactivity

guidelinesforAmericans.Accessed:06/24/2014•EckelRH,JakicicJM,ArdJD,et.al.2013AHA/ACCguidelineon

lifestyle management to reduce cardiovascular risk: A report of the AmericanCollegeofCardiology/AmericanHeartAssociationtaskforceonpracticeguidelines.Circulation.Accessed:06/24/2014

Copyright©2015myOptumHealth.

Cholesterol

©2014 United HealthCare Services, Inc.UHCEW000000-000 8/15

Short Workouts Can Be Good for Your Heart (continued)

Insurance coverage provided by or through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or its affiliates. Administrative services provided by United HealthCare Services, Inc. or their affiliates. The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and not intended to be nor should be construed as medical advice. You should consult your own doctor to determine what may be right for you.

Making short workouts countRegular aerobic exercise strengthens your heart.

Youcangetamoderate-intensityaerobicworkoutfrommany activities, like:

•Biking

•Briskwalking

•Doublestennis

•Dancing

•Wateraerobics

What’smostimportantisthatyousimplygetmoving!Inadditiontodoingwhatyoutypicallythinkofas“exercise,”youcanalsogetphysicalactivityfromyoureveryday routine. General gardening counts. So does housecleaning,yardworkorwashingyourcar.Justbecreativeandmovemore!

Check with your doctor firstItcanbeoverwhelmingtoknowwheretostartifyouhaven’texercisedmuchbefore,oryouhaven’texercisedinawhile.Ifyouarephysicallyinactiveoryouhaveahealth condition such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, pregnancy or other symptoms, check with your doctor before starting an exercise program or increasing your activitylevel.Heorshecantellyouwhattypesandamounts of activities are safe and suitable for you.