Women: Are you paying attention to your cholesterol?

If you're a woman, take a minute right now to think about your heart health. Now ask yourself, is that the first time you've thought about the state of your heart lately? Because a recent survey of American women found that we are woefully uniformed about our cholesterol levels, a key risk factor in future cardiovascular disease. Participants in the survey were more likely to know their weight in high school than their current HDL and LDL numbers, and fewer than half were even concerned about heart disease.

But the fact is that heart disease is the number one killer of women in our country. Many women think heart health is something for their parents to worry about, but the truth is that heart and artery damage happens over time and the time to be protecting ourselves from that damage is now. Learn more about women's heart health at 4women.gov or venture over to our sister site The Cardio Blog to learn more about matters of the heart.