BRITISH PEOPLE DON’T TAKE HIGH CHOLESTEROL RISKS SERIOUSLY
- 1 in 5 people ignoring doctor’s warnings and risking a heart attack or stroke from the silent killer.
EXPERTS have warned that a worrying number of Brits with high cholesterol levels are playing Russian roulette with their health by not taking any action to help prevent a possible heart attack or stroke.
Research by Kellogg’s Optivita* to coincide with the start of National Cholesterol Week shows 1 in 5 people who test positive for high cholesterol in the UK are in denial and don’t make any changes to their diet and lifestyle at all after hearing of the result.
Meanwhile a third of the population has never even had their cholesterol tested as they don’t believe they are at risk or have never even thought about it – with women the worst culprits with 1 in 3 women not getting tested compared to 1 in 4 men.
Around 1 in 5 people who have been tested say they have high cholesterol with the highest rate amongst those 45+ years and above. However an increasing number of young people (26 -35 year olds) are affected with 1 in 6 saying they have high cholesterol.
Jules Payne, CEO of Heart UK – the UK’s cholesterol charity, said: “People are dicing with death by not taking action and making changes to their diet and lifestyle after testing positive for high cholesterol. There is still a lot of work to be done in improving the nation’s knowledge about cholesterol and also eradicating many misconceptions.
“Even if you are fit, young and healthy and you don’t think you are at risk we would urge everyone to get their cholesterol checked – it can be a silent killer with few visible symptoms.”
A staggering half of those surveyed in Northern Ireland say they have high cholesterol with the North West a close second with 1 in 3 people. While Londoners think they are the least at risk from high cholesterol as they believe they have the healthiest lifestyles.
The research revealed a general lack of understanding about what cholesterol actually is; only 14pc correctly identified HDL as the “good” variety as opposed to LDL which is the “bad”. While nearly two thirds of UK adults admitted they had no idea of the difference between the two.
There are also some common misconceptions about cholesterol with over a third of people believing high cholesterol causes obesity while 1 in 10 think depression causes
high cholesterol.
Women are more aware than men that high cholesterol can run in the family however two thirds of people say they have no idea about the cholesterol levels of their immediate family members.
Dr Ayan Panja said: “As cholesterol can be a silent killer there is a need for much greater recognition across the UK. As a GP, I regularly see people with high cholesterol who have not taken the required steps to deal with the condition. Equally alarming is the lack of awareness of high cholesterol and its associated dangers across the general population. Everyone needs to start thinking about their cholesterol in terms of their family history, lifestyle and diet before it’s too late.”
Kellogg’s Optivita are supporting Heart UK’s first ever National Cholesterol Awareness Week from September 13 – 19, 2010 to highlight the important role breakfast can play in helping people manage their cholesterol levels. For more info visit www.optivita.co.uk or www.heartuk.org.uk
Notes to editors:
· Research carried out by Opinion Matters August 2010 of over 1500 adults
For more information please contact the Kellogg’s Press Office on 0161 869 5500.
High cholesterol is called the ‘silent killer’ because there are few visible symptoms, in some cases the first symptom is a fatal heart attack.
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