Karen's heart attack
In May 2010, aged just 48,
Karen had a heart attack.
While she was in hospital, she found out she
had very high blood cholesterol levels
- so her doctor prescribed statins to help lower them.
Through her cardiac
rehabilitation programme, Karen learnt she could improve her
heart health by making simple changes to her lifestyle.
My doctor's advice was to make sure I watch what I eat, to take my medication, and exercise.
For
example, she learnt that participating in regular
physical activity could help increase her level
of HDL cholesterol - the ‘good’ cholesterol that helps
protect your heart. Karen started exercising 5 days a
week.
"I never thought I'd ever see the day when I'd buy a
bike!"
On top of that, Karen also made some simple
healthy changes to her diet. This helped
her lose over two stone and since her heart
attack, her blood cholesterol levels have improved
significantly.
Find out more about cholesterol
You can hear from Ali and Suzanne, who were also told they had high
blood cholesterol, and find out what they do to lower their
cholesterol levels.