Understanding Cholesterol in South Asians

In my experience taking care of and consulting on thousands of South Asians, the most common heart disease risk factor I see is an abnormal cholesterol. The vast majority of South Asians have some form of cholesterol disorder which is a result of genetics and lifestyle. The first step in improving this important risk factor is to know how to interpret your cholesterol results. Do not assume your doctor will do this accurately for you. South Asians have some very unique features to their cholesterol profile that are frequently missed by doctors who are not familiar with treating South Asians. I have seen many South Asians who were told by their doctors that their cholesterol is fine and they ended up with a heart attack or stroke in their 40s or 50s. For example, most South Asians who have developed a heart attack or stroke have a total cholesterol less than 200. This is because the majority of South Asians have a low level of the healthy cholesterol known as HDL. This drives down the total cholesterol number. To learn how to interpret South Asian cholesterol levels, I've included the following videos below in English and Hindi.

Understanding South Asian Cholesterol Video (English)
Understanding South Asian Cholesterol Video (Hindi)

I also strongly suggest you go to South Asian cholesterol for more comprehensive information on improving your cholesterol results.