You’ll Think This Isn’t You…But It Might Be….

in college life by Kathy Teel — April 12, 2011 at 10:07 am | 0 comments

Concern About Rising Cholesterol Levels in College-Aged Students

If TV and movies (not to mention college catalogs) are to be believed, all college students look like this:

While that would be nice for so many reasons, the fact is that college students look like anyone else—some are in great health and excellent physical condition, and some are less healthy, and susceptible to our national trends of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.  One indicator of this is a recent study on the cholesterol levels of college students.

This study, from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, showed that about 11% of college students had significantly elevated cholesterol levels, and that almost none followed the guidelines set forth by the National Cholesterol Education Program to get cholesterol screening starting at age 20.  Men had slightly higher levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and slightly lower levels of good cholesterol (HDL) than women.

We’re Getting Less Healthy, Not More

The truth is that diabetes, heart disease, and other heart-destroying diseases are affecting people younger and younger ages. High cholesterol is one risk factor for atherosclerosis—hardening of the arteries—which leads to heart attacks.  The fact might actually be worse than the study indicates, because it was a survey of “college age” students, which traditionally means from ages 18-22. That’s the healthiest time in most people’s lives!  But many college students are older, or non-traditional, and have had more time to collect cholesterol, plaque, and damage to their hearts.

Tips to Lower Those Bad Cholesterol Numbers

What’s to be done to lower cholesterol levels among college students, whether “college aged” or older?  Here are a few ideas.

• Respect your body. That means take care of it.  Don’t put poisons into it, starve it into your favorite pair of jeans, or abuse it.  Young adults often make demands on their bodies that their bodies can’t sustain, but if you treat your body gently, it will do amazing things for you for years to come.
• Exercise.This is not an option for anyone—it is mandatory in all cases.  Human bodies require exercise for proper breathing, circulation, stress management, blood sugar regulation, and balanced cholesterol levels, just to name a few.  Everyone can do something, no matter what.  If you’re in college, you probably have PE majors, PT majors, or the student health services to help you start.
• Eat close to the earth. This doesn’t mean sitting on the ground.  The less processed something is, the better it is for your body.  Fresh and frozen foods are better than canned.  Meat is perfectly fine, as are most natural fats (most fat is necessary and helpful—don’t try to cut it out!).  Avoid processed carbs, and what carbs you eat should be close to their natural forms—fruits, whole grains, and natural sweeteners.
• Sleep. This is anathema at certain times, like finals period, but your body needs sleep to process cholesterol and to do all the other things you ask of it.
• Get your cholesterol checked. Even if you’re 18 and never been sick a day in your life, get this important test done.  It will give you a sense of how you need to modify your lifestyle in order to keep your body healthy and strong.
• Add these 2 things. Add more fish and more fiber to your diet.  Eat oatmeal or other high fiber foods, and grill up some fish instead of a hamburger once or twice a week.

It seems incredible that college students should have to think about their cholesterol levels, but studies show that it’s true.  It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you take care of your body now—through exercise, healthy eating, and careful monitoring—it will take care of you through many long and healthy years of life.

Tags: atherosclerosis cholesterol levels cholesterol testing health health risks heart disease obesity