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Three out of four Belgians don’t know their cholesterol level
Belgians know little about their cholesterol levels, it appears from an online European survey in which 1,000 Belgians aged over 45 took part. According to the survey, 79% of Belgian respondents are aware of the cardiovascular risks linked to cholesterol, but three out of four do not know what their own cholesterol level is. "We need to encourage cholesterol screening and reinforce the message about the importance of a balanced diet on a daily basis," says the director of the Belgian League of Cardiologists, Dr. Freddy Van de Casseye. It is commonly agreed that levels of LDL, or ‘bad cholesterol’ are considered too high when they reach 115mg/dl. But for people who already are at risk of cardiovascular disease (those who have already suffered a heart attack or a stroke, or with diabetes), the threshold is 70mg/dl. In Belgium, seven out of ten adults have cholesterol levels (good and bad alike) that are too high.
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I do a lot of Sport, watch my diet and think about healthy living in General, but how can anyone know about his/her cholesterol.
It's not something you can easily check and it might change within weeks.
But of course you can also go weekly to your GP, pay 30 Euro and get it checked.
The survey should have asked all GPs, when they last checked the cholesterol of their clients and informed them about it. That information would have been much more useful.
Jodiste, it's inaccurate to say that cholesterol is 'not something you can easily check'. Home test kits are available from chemists and online (Amazon has plenty), for as little as five euros, and with over 99.5% accuracy.
Of course you are right. You can also check you your heart rate by wearing a monitor, but ask anyone on the street if they know their average heart rate and they will just be guessing.
What I was trying to say is to get the GPs to identify the risk patients and to make them aware of it. To just ask anyone on the street makes no sense at all.
Maybe the fast food industry should supply a cholesterol kit with each meal (like check-as-you-eat) ;))