Not exactly a good start for the future of a country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports one in five American teenagers have high cholesterol levels.

High cholesterol is a known risk factor for heart disease.

Studying data from a national health survey, the CDC found 20.3% of young people, ages 12 to 19, had unhealthy cholesterol levels.

Heavier teens were more likely to have high cholesterol and boys were found to be at higher risk than girls.

Researchers say unhealthy cholesterol often begins in childhood and adolescence, so it’s important that doctors identify it early and recommend lifestyle interventions.

Via Reuters.

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It’s hard to resist back-to-back episodes of Sanford and Son, but too many marathons of TV watching may shorten your life, especially if you endlessly channel surf every day.

Published in the journal Circulation, scientists found each hour spent sitting in front of the television raised a person’s risk of dying prematurely from heart disease.

For the study, experts tracked the lifestyle habits of 8,800 adults; such as smoking, diet, exercise, waist measurement, and high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Data showed every hour spent in front of the television was associated with an 11% higher risk of dying from all causes; 9% higher risk of cancer death; and an 18% increased risk of death due to cardiovascular disease.

And people watching more than four hours of TV each day had a 46% higher risk of death from all causes and an 80% higher risk of heart disease related death.

So if you take in a little too much boob-tube every day, you’ll be doing the Fred Sanford chest grab for real.

Via Reuters.

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It sounds obvious. Eating fatty foods, raises cholesterol, clogs arteries, and then WHAM you have a heart attack.

Shouldn’t be a surprise when it happens, but for millions of people it’s a real shocker.

So, a new study aims to clarify the risk, in case you didn’t know.

Published in the journal Circulation, a new study found people with high non-HDL cholesterol, which includes LDL, or bad, cholesterol had 13% higher risk of heart attack.

But on the other hand, individuals with high HDL, or good, cholesterol had a 25% lower risk of heart attack.

So researchers suggest cholesterol altering therapies for both HDL and LDL cholesterol should be considered for heart patients.

Foods that lower bad cholesterol, because they don’t have any, are fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats, like omega 3’s, contained in things like walnuts, have been shown to be cardio-protective.

Via HealthDay News.

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Don’t eat garlic before a hot date, or before a dentist appointment, unless you hate your dentist, then by all means.

But despite the smell, garlic has been linked to many health benefits, like preventing high blood pressure and cholesterol.

And a new study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, aims to figure out why garlic is so good for your heart.

Fresh garlic is the key.

Scientists say freshly crushing garlic produces hydrogen sulfide, which when eaten signals a compound that protects your heart. But dried garlic loses a lot of that healthful property.

In the study, researchers did find that processed garlic helps the heart, but overall, fresh garlic worked better, improving blood pressure.

As for how much you need, here’s where it gets dicey—no pun intended—experts recommend eating one clove of garlic per day. Yikes!

So if you can’t stomach that, or already have a healthy heart, you can always string it around your neck and protect your throat from creatures of the night.

Via Health.com.

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Don’t run out and buy astronaut ice cream, freeze-dried strawberries are different.

They’re the stuff in a lot of cereals nowadays, like Special K Red Berries.

So if you like them, here is some good news. Eating freeze-dried strawberries may help lower cholesterol levels.

Writing in the Nutrition Journal, researchers found women consuming two cups of a drink made with a freeze-dried strawberry powder reported drops in LDL cholesterol, i.e. “bad” cholesterol.

Strawberries, like a lot of berries and plant foods, are loaded with antioxidants, which help protect cells from damage. People eating a lot of fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of heart disease. High cholesterol is a symptom of cardiovascular disease.

As for the freeze-dried strawberries in this study, they helped decrease oxidized-LDL, a contributing factor to atherosclerosis, a.k.a. high cholesterol.

But why not just ate regular strawberries, even when they’re out of season you can by them frozen—sounds a little dopey to me.

Via Food Navigator.

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