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We welcome you to the   Krystal Foundation website.  Krystal Foundation's mission is two-fold:  Showcase health and wellness issues that are important to the community,  and Encourage young adult leaders to pursue the professions of medicine.  This month Krystal Foundation is focusing its attention on HEART HEALTH.   
The Medical Doctor , the Physician,  is the health profession showcased. 

Cholesterol is a fatty chemical which is an important part of the outer lining (membrane) of cells in the body. Cholesterol is found mainly in foods that come from animals. LDL lipoprotein is the major carrier of cholesterol in the blood. LDL cholesterol is called "bad" cholesterol, because elevated LDL cholesterol is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. LDL lipoprotein deposits cholesterol on the artery walls, causing the formation of a hard, thick substance called cholesterol plaque. Over time, cholesterol plaque causes thickening of the artery walls and narrowing of the arteries, a process called atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerotic disease of coronary arteries is called coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of death in the United States, accounting for about 600,000 deaths annually. Atherosclerosis can also lead to brain damage from stroke. In addition to smoking and blood pressure, blood cholesterol is a major controllable risk factor for coronary heart disease.

Your blood cholesterol level is affected not only by what you eat but also by how quickly your body makes LDL ("bad") cholesterol and disposes of it. In fact, your body makes all the cholesterol it needs, and it is not necessary to take in any additional cholesterol from the foods you eat.

Many factors help determine whether your LDL-cholesterol level is high or low. The following factors are the most important:

• Heredity
• What you eat
• Weight
• Physical activity/exercise
• Age and sex
• Alcohol
• Stress

Heredity. Your genes influence how high your LDL ("bad") cholesterol is by affecting how fast LDL is made and removed from the blood. One specific form of inherited high cholesterol that affects 1 in 500 people is familial hypercholesterolemia, which often leads to early heart disease. But even if you do not have a specific genetic form of high cholesterol, genes play a role in influencing your LDL-cholesterol level.

What you eat. Two main nutrients in the foods you eat make your LDL ("bad") cholesterol level go up: saturated fat, a type of fat found mostly in foods that come from animals; and cholesterol, which comes only from animal products. Saturated fat raises your LDL-cholesterol level more than anything else in the diet. Eating too much saturated fat and cholesterol is the main reason for high levels of cholesterol and a high rate of heart attacks in the United States. Reducing the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol you eat is a very important step in reducing your blood cholesterol levels. 

Weight. Excess weight tends to increase your LDL ("bad") cholesterol level. If you are overweight and have a high LDL-cholesterol level, losing weight may help you lower it. Weight loss also helps to lower triglycerides and raise HDL ("good") cholesterol levels.

MedicineNet.com

HOLD THE DATE----
November 12, 2010
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Hotel, CHICAGO
HER CROWN AND GLORY  2010
Holiday Fashion Extravaganza Fundraiser for African American Women with Alopecia (loss of hair) due to chemotherapy treatments.
Proceeds to benefit patients of The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago

Online Reservations available beginning October 1, 2010 
STAY TUNED