Lifestyle Cholesterol Management Glossary of Terms

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Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Aerobic: Oxygen-requiring. Aerobic bacteria need oxygen to grow. Aerobic exercise requires...

Aerobic exercise: Brisk exercise that promotes the circulation of oxygen through the blood...

Analysis: In psychology, a term for conversation-based therapeutic processes used to gain ...

Angina: Chest pain due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. The pain is ...

Artery: A vessel that carries blood high in oxygen content away from the heart to the far...

Atherosclerosis: A process of progressive thickening and hardening of the walls of medium-...

ATP: 1. Adenosine triphosphate. 2. Acute thrombocytopenic purpura.

Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is...

Calorie: A unit of food energy. The word calorie is ordinarily used instead of the more pr...

Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, ...

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

Cholesterol: The most common type of steroid in the body. Cholesterol has a reputation for...

Coronary artery disease: Impedance or blockage of one or more arteries that supply blood t...

Cuts: Severed skin. Washing a cut or scrape with soap and water and keeping it clean and d...

Department of Health and Human Services: The United States government's principal agency f...

Diabetes: Refers to diabetes mellitus or, less often, to diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mell...

Family history: The family structure and relationships within the family, including inform...

Fasting: : going without food or drink. Patients may be advised to fast for a certain peri...

Fats: Plural of the word "fat". See the definition of fat.

Fiber: The parts of fruits and vegetables that cannot be digested. Fiber is of vital impor...

Garlic: A perennial herb of the lily family cultivated for its pungent, edible bulbs. Garl...

HDL: High density lipoprotein.

HDL cholesterol: High density lipoprotein cholesterol. Lipoproteins, which are combination...

Health and Human Services: The United States government's principal agency for "protecting...

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heart attack: The death of heart muscle due to the loss of blood supply. The loss of bloo...

Heart disease: Any disorder that affects the heart. Sometimes the term "heart disease" is ...

High blood pressure: A repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg. Chro...

Hypercholesterolemia: High blood cholesterol. This can be sporadic (occurring with no fami...

Indicate: In medicine, to make a treatment or procedure advisable because of a particular ...

LDL cholesterol: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, commonly referred to as 'bad' choles...

Lipid: Another word for "fat." (Please see the various meanings of Fat.) A lipid is more f...

Lipid profile: A pattern of lipids in the blood. A lipid profile usually includes the leve...

Lipoprotein: A molecule that is a combination of lipid and protein. Lipids do not travel i...

Normal range: Characteristic of 95 percent of values from a normal population. The remaini...

Nutrition: 1) The science or practice of taking in and utilizing foods. 2) A nourishing ...

Obesity: The state of being well above one's normal weight.

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Peripheral: Situated away from the center, as opposed to centrally located.

Peripheral artery disease: A form of peripheral vascular disease in which there is partial...

Polygenic: Pertaining to two or more genes. As opposed to monogenic.

Saturated fat: A fat that contains only saturated fatty acids, is solid at room temperatur...

Serum: The clear liquid that can be separated from clotted blood. Serum differs from plas...

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

Stroke: The sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood...

Triglycerides: The major form of fat stored by the body. A triglyceride consists of three ...

Unsaturated fat: A fat that is liquid at room temperature and comes from a plant, such as ...

Vascular: Relating to blood vessels. For example, the vascular system in the body includes...

Weight loss: Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (die...

Yogurt: A common dish made of milk curdled and fermented with a culture of Lactobacillus (...