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CHECK UP
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MISSED A PROGRAMME?
Go to the Listen Again page |
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PROGRAMME INFO |
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Check Up is your chance to talk to doctors about the health issues that most concern you and your family. Each week Barbara Myers is joined by a medical expert to take your calls and emails on a particular topic and give you the most up to date advice. No appointment necessary.
Call 0870 010 0444
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Contact Check Up |
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LISTEN AGAIN Ìý30 min |
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PRESENTER |
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"There is no substitute for one-to-one advice from aÌýtop medical expert and that's what we offer our callers and emailers. But for each person who calls to ask for help, someone else phones in to pass on a tip or a suggestion -Ìýit's a great programme to present."
Barbara Myers |
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PROGRAMME DETAILS |
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 Full programme transcript >>
Cholesterol
Having high cholesterol might not seem too alarming and the chances are you won’t have any symptoms. But keeping your cholesterol level in check drastically reduces your chance of having a heart attack or a stroke.Ìý
If you have raised cholesterol,Ìýhow good do you really have to beÌýwhen it comes to food, and how physically active? And when should you reach for the cholesterol-lowering spreads or drugs?
Cholesterol expert Dr Jonathan Morrell will be in the Check Up studio with Barbara Myers to take your questions.
Much like the furring up of a water pipe, with too much cholesterol our arteries get clogged up. And when the blood starts to clot, the problems really begin.
A clot in an artery supplying the heart causes angina or a heart attack, and a clot in the arteries of the brain, a stroke.
Cholesterol can kill but it doesn’t act alone. It’s carried around the body by molecules called lipoproteins.
High density lipoproteins (HDL) are ‘good’, removing cholesterol from the circulation.Ìý Low density lipoproteins (LDL) are ‘bad’, bringing cholesterol in to the circulation where they clog the arteries. Triglycerides make matters worse by helping cholesterol to clog them further.
Some people inherit high cholesterol and need medication to reduce it. But for most of us, there’s a lot we can do to help. Cutting down on foods high in saturated fats reduces levels of bad cholesterol.Ìý ExercisingÌýand eating more fruit, vegetables, plant sterols and soya can make a difference too.
Around 3 million people in the UK are currently thought to take a statin to reduce their cholesterol, and according to the latest guidelines, at least as many again should be on one, but aren’t. But they don’t suit everyone. So what is the alternative?
Please contact the programme with your questions or comments on 08700-100-444 on the day of broadcast or e-mail using the Contact Check Up link above.
Next week: hands |
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RELATED LINKS
- Helpline number: 0845 450 5988
91Èȱ¬ Radio 4: Case Notes - Statins
91Èȱ¬ Health: Ask the Doctor - Statin Drugs
The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external websites
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