ROCHESTER, MINN. -- Cholesterol can be downright confusing. While it's common knowledge that you should watch your cholesterol, people often are unsure why and what to do about it.
To help you learn the facts, Mayo Clinic is adding a two-part interactive cholesterol quiz to its health information site on the Internet, Mayo Clinic Health O@sis (www.mayohealth.org). The quiz can be found by typing in the words "cholesterol quiz" in the search box. Immediately after answering each question, you will receive the correct answer and an explanation.
Here are three of the questions that appear on the quizzes, which Mayo Clinic physicians say the average adult may have trouble answering:
1. What causes high cholesterol? A. Your genetic makeup; B. Your diet; C. Your level of exercise; or D. All of the above. 2. Which of the following statements is true? A. Most of your blood cholesterol is produced by your own body; B. Most of your blood cholesterol comes from the food you eat; C. Both vegetables and meats contain dietary cholesterol; or D. None of the above are true. 3. Which of the following statements is true? A. If you eat only one egg, it will not contribute very much toward the recommended daily limit for dietary cholesterol; B. If you eat only one egg, it will account for about two-thirds of the recommended daily limit for dietary cholesterol; C. All of the dietary cholesterol in an egg is contained in the egg white; D. None of the above.
The answers and their explanations are: 1. D. Heredity is often a big factor in the development of high cholesterol. But lifestyle choices including poor dietary and exercise habits can contribute to high cholesterol, too. Your first lines of defense against high cholesterol are to maintain a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet and get regular aerobic exercise. 2. A. The term "cholesterol" is used for both the cholesterol you eat (dietary cholesterol) and the cholesterol produced in your body. Your liver makes about 80 percent of the cholesterol in your blood (blood cholesterol). Only about 20 percent comes from your diet. Animal products that you eat, such as meat and dairy foods, contain dietary cholesterol. Vegetables do not. 3. B. A single egg contains about 213 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol about two-thirds of the recommended daily limit of 300 mg of cholesterol. Nearly all the cholesterol in an egg is contained in the yolk.
Dr. Brooks Edwards, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist and medical director for Mayo Clinic Health O@sis, says this quiz is a good starting point for people who want to know more about cholesterol and health overall. "This interactive application provides an exciting opportunity for patients to learn more about cholesterol and take control of their health," he says.
Mayo Clinic Health O@sis is developed by Mayo Clinic to provide Internet users with a reliable source of health and medical information.
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