New campaign calls for doctors to routinely cholesterol test women 45+ and make this the last generation of women not to know about the link between elevated cholesterol and the menopause

International healthcare professionals (HCPs) have today (International Women’s Day, 8 March 2009) spoken out about the urgent need for routine cholesterol testing as part of overall cardiovascular disease risk assessment of women 45+.

The leading HCPs have joined a panel of high profile female celebrities to support leading heart health brand Becel’s pro.activists for cholesterol change campaign (See video excerpt from panel debate above). They aim to raise awareness of the fact that thousands of women still do not know that their cholesterol levels rise during the menopause and to highlight that too few doctors are recommending cholesterol testing in their routine advice to women.

“Sadly there is a general lack of awareness of the association between the menopause and cholesterol levels and other cardiovascular disease risk factors. Doctors and nurses need to see the menopause as a ‘wake-up’ call and think beyond its immediate, short-term symptoms, like flushing and sleeplessness. We need to look at long-term health, think about cholesterol and make a cardiovascular risk assessment as part of the menopause assessment for ALL women”, urges Becel pro.activist Dr Heather Currie (co-author of Becel’s 2008 White Paper: Cholesterol and the Menopause)

CVD is now 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.[i] Despite this, only just over a third of doctors (35%) include a cholesterol check in their routine advice to female patients and very few advise women on the increased importance of regular cholesterol checks both during and after the menopause.[ii]

During the menopause production of the hormone estrogen ceases, which causes cholesterol levels to rise and a shift in fat distribution and storage in women.  Fat storage moves from the lower body (‘pear’ shape) to the upper body (‘apple’ shape) around the abdominal organs, more resembling that of men. This central lipid redistribution has been estimated to increase women’s risk of CVD four-fold over the first ten years after the menopause - a 10% increase. [iii]

“The common belief that cardiovascular disease is the problem of middle-aged men and not women must be challenged immediately”, warns international cardiologist, Dr Karin Schenck-Gustafsson.

Taking action to lower cholesterol can be as simple as making some easy diet and lifestyle changes.

“As well as not smoking and by taking regular physical exercise, the best advice doctors can give women is to replace the saturated fats in their diet with a combination of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. There is also a variety of foods containing specific active ingredients, such as plant sterols in margarines, which are proven to significantly reduce LDL-cholesterol. Consuming 2-2.5g of plant sterols a day has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol by 10% and by up to 15% if combined with the move to a heart healthy diet and lifestyle”, advises Dr Currie.

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

Full panel debate can be viewed on the Flora/Becel website - see website link in right hand column.

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[i] American Heart Association. Women and cardiovascular disease facts. American Heart Association, 2007 World Health Organization, 2004. www3.who.int/whosis/mort/table1_process.cfm
Schenck-Gustaffson K. Diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in women. Menopause International, 2007; 13:19-22

[ii] Taylor Nelson Sofres for Unilever. Survey of attitudes to the menopause and cholesterol. August 2007.

[iii] Kannal WB and Levy D. Menopause, hormones and cardiovascular vulnerability in women. Archives of
Internal Medicine, 2004;164:479-481.