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Be aware of your cholesterol level For more information about cholesterol and the risk factors for heart disease, visit the Wellness Wednesday booth from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 20 at MUSC Children’s Hospital lobby.   September is Cholesterol Awareness Month, and as many already know, a high cholesterol level may increase the risk of heart disease. What people may not know, however, are the new guidelines for cholesterol goals. They are outlined below.   The main ways to lower your cholesterol are with diet, exercise, and medications. A low saturated fat diet lowers the LDL cholesterol. A diet low in carbohydrates and sugar lowers triglycerides. Increasing your HDL, good cholesterol, is done by exercising, stopping smoking, and diets substituting monounsaturated fats such as nuts and canola/olive oil for saturated fats.   There are several medications to lower your cholesterol based on the type of abnormality. Statins have been used for many years and are very safe and effective in lowering cholesterol. 2006 Cholesterol Goal Guidelines Total cholesterol             less than 200mg/dl HDL- “good cholesterol”             > 40mg/dl LDL- “bad cholesterol”        100-130mg/dl,                                  (optimal is < 100mg/dl)                        If bypass, heart attack,             or Stent (optional goal)    < 70mg/dl Diabetes                       < 100mg/dl Triglycerides                 < 150mg/dl Weekly tips from the Healthy S.C. Challenge Healthy S.C. Challenge is a results-oriented initiative created by Gov. Mark Sanford and first lady Jenny Sanford to motivate people to start making choices that can improve health and well-being. Visit http://www.healthysc.gov. Nutrition Drinking eight glasses of water a day quenches thirst, aids digestion, cools the body during exercise, flushes out waste and carries essential nutrients to the body’s cells. Water also reduces the risk of kidney stones, lubricates joints, improves skin tone, relieves headaches and curbs appetite. Editor's note: The preceding column was brought to you on behalf of Health 1st. Striving to bring various topics and representing numerous employee wellness organizations and committees on campus, this weekly column seeks to provide MUSC, MUHA, and UMA employees with current and helpful information concerning all aspects of health.     Friday, Sept. 15, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Papers at 849-1778, ext. 201.