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South Texas Healthy Living host Tom Castañeda and internal medicine physician Arturo Martinez, III, MD

In recent years, there’s been a slight decline in average cholesterol levels across the overall population in the United States. But there’s growing concern over the increase in high cholesterol rates among younger adults.

Alarmingly, there’s been a sharp rise in high cholesterol rates among adults between 20 and 39 years old in recent years, per the American Heart Association®, with more than 30% of the age group currently living with elevated cholesterol levels. Troublingly, about 40% of Americans with high cholesterol don’t know they have it and aren’t receiving treatment, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, because the life-threatening condition usually doesn’t cause any noticeable symptoms like pain and discomfort.

Untreated high cholesterol can lead to serious health complications including heart disease and stroke, two leading causes of death in the United States. “Produced by the liver, cholesterol is essential for good health in the right amounts; it helps the body digest fatty foods and make hormones. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs,” says Ramiro Tovar III, MD, a family medicine physician with South Texas Health System Clinics. “Unfortunately, a poor diet is a major cause of high cholesterol. So, if you eat unhealthily, particularly a diet high in saturated and trans fats, there’s a high likelihood you have high cholesterol.”

To help shine a spotlight on high cholesterol among residents of the Rio Grande Valley, South Texas Health System and STHS Clinics will devote the latest episode of their monthly “South Texas Healthy Living” television program to the serious health condition, which affects half of Hispanic men and more than a third of Hispanic women, per the CDC. Broadcast live on Sunday, December 29, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. on KVEO-TV NBC 23, the program will feature an interview with Arturo Martinez, III, MD, an internal medicine physician with Premier Medical Associates, on the causes of high cholesterol, the importance of knowing your numbers and ways to lower your cholesterol.

Additionally, STHS System Director of Marketing and Public Relations and “South Texas Healthy Living” host Tom Castañeda sits down with a local retired UPS driver diagnosed with high cholesterol three years ago to learn how it has impacted his life and what he’s doing to keep his numbers in check. The program will also feature a special cooking segment led by Patrick Woodin, South Texas Health System McAllen’s director of dietary and nutrition services, a demonstration of essential exercises with a member of the STHS Edinburg Outpatient Rehabilitation Center, and important advice on preventing high cholesterol.

“High cholesterol is often linked to an unhealthy lifestyle. That includes eating bad, not getting enough exercise, smoking, excessively consuming alcohol and being overweight. The good news is that making positive lifestyle modifications can improve your cholesterol levels,” says Castañeda. “So, along with providing important education on the dangers of high cholesterol, this latest episode of ‘South Texas Healthy Living’ will also highlight ways you can improve your cholesterol, including foods that can help lower your levels and some easy exercises you can do from the comfort of your home to get healthy and stay healthy!”

If you or someone you love is at risk of high cholesterol, don’t miss the latest episode of “South Texas Healthy Living” on Sunday, December 29 at 11:00 a.m. on KVEO-TV NBC 23.