ABOUT HEART DISEASE

• Heart disease is the number one cause of death in America for both males and females
• Every 26 seconds, someone suffers a coronary event, and every minute, someone dies from one.
• 1.2 million heart attacks occur each year (700,000 of those are new)
• The estimated average number of years of life lost following a heart attack is 14.2 years
• 50% of men and 64% of women who died suddenly of heart disease had no previous symptoms

                                 ABOUT DIABETES

• 20.8 million Americans have diabetes
• 14.6 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, but nearly 1 in 3 are undiagnosed
• 10.3 million Americans with diabetes are over age 60 and older, nearly 21% of this group
• 41 million Americans have pre-diabetes (glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a
diagnosis of type 2 diabetes). Pre-diabetes can be controlled to delay diabetes onset
• Diabetes and cardiovascular disease are strongly linked together

                               ABOUT CHOLESTEROL

• Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found in the lipids, or fats, in the bloodstream and cells of the body. This substance is formed from the foods we eat and from our liver
• Cholesterol does not dissolve in blood. It must be transported through the body by lipoproteins
• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the major carrier of cholesterol in the body, carrying about 65%
• Too much LDL cholesterol in the blood can cause a build up on the artery walls
• LDL build up, when combined with other substances, can cause plaque to form on the artery walls, potentially leading to blockages in those arteries (atherosclerosis)
• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) carries about 30% of the cholesterol in the body, carrying bad (LDL) cholesterol away from the arteries to the liver
• High HDL levels seem to protect against heart attack and conversely, low HDL levels can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke
• Triglycerides are the most common type of fat in the body. When combined with a low HDL and/or a high LDL, triglycerides can help speed up the process of atherosclerosis
• In adults, total cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or higher are considered high, and levels from 200 to 239 mg/dL are considered borderline-high
• 105.2 million Americans age 20 and older have total blood cholesterol levels of 200 milligrams per deciliter
(mg/dL) and higher (approximately 50 million are men and 55 million are women)
• Of this 105.2 million, 36.6 million have total blood cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or higher (approximately 17 million are men and 19 million are women)
• A 10 percent decrease in total cholesterol levels may result in an estimated 30 percent reduction in the incidence of coronary heart disease

          HEALTHY LIFE CHOICES PROMOTE LONG LIFE.

                             EAT RIGHT...EXERCISE...REST