More than 30 percent of adults in Taiwan have hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said on Monday, adding that blood lipid levels should be carefully managed to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
The administration’s Nutrition and Health Survey between 2019 and 2023 showed that about 31 percent of adults have hyperlipidemia, it said.
As it often has no early signs, many people are not aware they have it, the agency said.
Photo: Wu Chun-feng, Taipei Times
Cholesterol and triglycerides are a type of lipids, with triglycerides originating from dietary fats absorbed by the intestines or produced by the liver when a person consumes excess calories, especially carbohydrates, the HPA said, adding that high blood triglyceride levels might indicate fatty liver disease.
There are two main types of cholesterol — high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, or “good” cholesterol), which can remove cholesterol from blood vessel walls, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, or “bad” cholesterol), high levels of which can clog blood vessels, making it a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, it said.
A person is at higher risk of heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular diseases if their total cholesterol, LDL-C or triglycerides levels are too high, or if their HDL-C level is too low, the administration said.
HPA Director-General Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍) said people should get health checks regularly to learn about their condition and risks.
The HPA also encourages people to follow four tips for managing their blood lipid levels.
First, people should get health exams regularly to know their blood lipid level, it said.
Normal total cholesterol levels for adults are below 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), triglyceride levels below 150 mg/dL, LDL-C below 130 mg/dL and HDL-C above 40 mg/dL for men and above 50 mg/dL for women.
Second, the administration recommends using its chronic disease risk calculation Web site (https://cdrc.hpa.gov.tw/), where people can input in their blood lipid level or other numbers from health exams to receive a risk assessment for developing cardiovascular diseases, it said.
Third, adopting a healthy lifestyle can also reduce blood lipid levels.
Regular aerobic exercises can help reduce triglyceride levels and increase HDL-C levels, and eating meals with “low oil, low sodium, low sugar and high fibers” can also help maintain a healthy blood lipid level, it said.
Last, tobacco smokers can improve their blood lipid levels by quitting, as nicotine can reduce HDL-C levels and cause blood pressure to increase, the agency said.
People with unhealthy blood lipid levels should carefully manage them. Adults aged between 20 and 64 with high blood pressure, blood lipids or blood sugar, or are overweight and meet the definition of “metabolic syndrome,” can also seek consultation with healthcare professionals at nearly 3,000 contracted clinics in the Metabolic Syndrome Prevention Program, it said.
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