Understanding Cholesterol: National Education Month

The illustration shows a normal artery with normal blood flow (figure A) and an artery containing plaque buildup (figure B). Courtesy: NHLBI

September is National Cholesterol Education Month
The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) has been in existence since November, 1985. The NCEP is a program of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The NCEP consist of several federal agencies and the Coordinating Committee. The Coordinating Committee membership consists of more than 40 partner organizations which promote implementation of NCEP strategies and guidelines. Consisting of representatives from major medical and health professional associations, voluntary health organizations, community programs, and governmental agencies, the Coordinating Committee is the NCEP’s policy-setting body and board of directors.

A few of the objectives of NCEP are:

To increase awareness that elevated blood cholesterol is a cause of coronary heart disease(CHD), and that reducing elevated blood cholesterol levels will contribute to the reduction of CHD risk.
To increase the proportion of Americans who have reduced their dietary intake of saturated fat and cholesterol as part of a nutritionally adequate diet.
To increase the proportion of Americans who know their blood cholesterol levels.
To encourage people identified as having high blood cholesterol to seek professional advice and followup.
To increase awareness that diet plays a major role in lowering high blood cholesterol, and that weight control and physcial activity also play a role in the management of high blood cholesterol, and that, if necessary, drugs may be added to the regimen.
To increase public knowledge about the dietary principles for reducing blood cholesterol levels.
To increase the proportion of people with high blood cholesterol who adhere to their cholesterol-lowering regimen.

During the month of September, commit to your self to become aware of the facts about cholesterol! Set aside time, (plan it) to learn all you can about cholesterol in order to maintain your health. A good place to start is at CDC.gov. To learn more about NCEP, click this blue link to NHLBI website. For helpful resources to use, click National Cholesterol Education Month.