• Quit Smoking
• Get Sensible Exercise
• Get Tested for Diabetes
• Control High Blood Pressure
• Form a Partnership for Health
• Keep Alcohol Use Moderate
• Strive for Balance
• Maintain a Health Body Weight

• What is Blood Pressure? What Happens When It's High?
• How is Blood Pressure Checked and What Do the Numbers Mean?
• What Causes High Blood Pressure?
• Preventing High Blood Pressure
• If You Have High Blood Pressure

• Activities and Calories Used in Exercise
• Sample Walking Program
• Test Your Physical Activity and Heart Disease IQ
• Successful Exercise at a Glance

• Low-fat Cooking
• Eating Right in Every Location
• Diet tips at a Glance
• Calculate Your Body Mass Index
• Using the Food Label
• What is Cholesterol and Why Does it Matter?
• What Your Cholesterol Numbers Mean
• What Affects Blood Cholesterol Levels
• What Can You Do to Lower Your Blood Cholesterol
• Eating Right and Staying Active
• A Daily Food Guide
• Shopping the Heart-Healthy Way

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is used by the body to make cell membranes, hormones, and other essential substances. The body is able to manufacture most of the cholesterol it needs, however, and so the added cholesterol gained through foods is not always required to meet your body’s basic needs.

Additionally, cholesterol does not break down in the blood like other nutrients, and it travels in the bloodstream as insoluble particles called lipoproteins. These lipoproteins travel through the blood, supplying cholesterol to all the parts of your body. Unfortunately, when there is an excess amount of cholesterol in the blood it can be deposited along artery walls, contributing to a progressive disease called atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, which contributes to high blood pressure and stroke, and to coronary artery disease, the cause of heart attacks.