Many women going through the menopause visit their doctor to alleviate its short-term effects, such as hot flushes, but experts are urging health care professionals to look ahead to the more long-term changes that are taking place in order to reduce CVD risk among women 45+.

So, just what are the facts of cholesterol and the menopause? Take our quick quiz to test your knowledge. 

QUESTIONS

Instructions: Select ‘true’ or ‘false’ for each of the statements below.

Q1. High cholesterol is one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease
True False

Q2. The loss of the hormone estrogen causes an increase in cholesterol levels during the menopause
True False

Q3. Women are nine times more likely to die from CVD than they are from breast cancer
True False

Q4. The central lipid redistribution that occurs during the menopause has been estimated to increase women’s risk of CVD four-fold over the first ten years after the menopause - a 10% increase
True False

Q5. Only one third of doctors include a cholesterol check in their routine advice to female patients
True False

Q6. Plant sterols have the ability to lower LDL cholesterol by up to 15% when combined with the move to a healthy diet and lifestyle
True False

ANSWERS

In actual fact, all the statements are true. If you answered false to any of them then you’re not alone in your under-estimation of the risks of heart disease and elevated cholesterol in women. Only 16% of doctors in Europe [countries to replace with local figures] regard elevated cholesterol as a serious health risk to menopausal women .

KEY FACTS

CVD is the leading cause of mortality in women, with risk greater than the next five causes of death combined and nine times greater than breast cancer. Despite this, only very few doctors advise women on the increased importance of regular cholesterol checks both during and after the menopause.

Becel’s pro.activists for cholesterol change campaign is on a mission to change this situation and increase awareness of the link between the menopause and cholesterol. The campaign is a call to action to HCPs to ensure that menopausal women are made aware of the risk of elevated cholesterol and provided with sound advice on how to manage this.

Watch the short excerpt from the pro.activists for cholesterol change panel debate in the video above. The full panel debate can be viewed on the Flora/Becel website - see link in right hand column.

Dr Heather Currie (co-author of Becel’s 2008 White Paper: Cholesterol and the Menopause) comments: “As healthcare professionals, we have a duty to let menopausal women know that high cholesterol is a significant threat to their health.”

The good news is that many of the attributable risk factors for heart disease, such as elevated cholesterol, can be reduced through small changes such as including plant sterols in the diet - clinically proven to significantly lower cholesterol. Eating 2-2.5 g of plant sterols in Becel pro.activ foods daily can lower LDL-cholesterol by up to 15% when combined with the move to a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Click here to see how plant sterols reduce the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream

See attachments for further information