Heart-Healthy Terms to Know
If you've made the choice to follow a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle, congratulations!! Maybe you decided to do this on your own, and maybe it was at your doctor's urging. Either way, there are some words used often in heart-healthy circles that you really ought to understand.
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD): refers to the diseases associated with the heart and blood vessels.
- Coronary Artery Disease: a disease caused by narrowing of the arteries to the heart.
- HDL cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein, known as the good cholesterol, transports extra cholesterol from the blood to the liver. Most patients want to get higher HDL numbers.
- Heart attack: occurs when the blood vessels to the heart become blocked by fatty deposits, reducing or stopping the blood supply.
- LDL cholesterol: Low-density lipoprotein, or bad cholesterol—it carries cholesterol and may lay down fatty deposits on the walls of blood vessels. Most people want their LDL numbers to be lower.
- Lipid profile: the results of this test show the total cholesterol, triglycerides and cholesterol in your blood.
- Macrovascular disease: complications affecting large arteries, such as in the legs and heart.
- Microvascular disease: complications affecting smaller arteries, such as in the kidneys and eyes.
- Stroke: happens when blood supply to the brain is interrupted and tissue is damaged. Strokes can be mild or severe depending on where they occur and how soon treatment begins.
- Triglycerides: a common blood fat that triggers the liver to create more cholesterol. High blood glucose levels often go hand-in-hand with high triglycerides.
Source: Heart Healthy Living Magazine
