High cholesterol, that is, high ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL - low density lipoprotein), can increase your chances of getting numerous diseases. If you fail to do anything about your high cholesterol you are putting your health at serious risk. High cholesterol increases your risk of:

• cardiovascular disease (heart disease)
• stroke
• certain cancers

A recent study has shown that high cholesterol can lead to stroke in otherwise healthy people:

Healthy women with no history of heart disease or stroke significantly increase their chances of having a stroke if they have high cholesterol, according to a study of more than 27,000 women.

Our findings further underscore the importance of cholesterol levels as a risk factor for stroke, even if you have no history of heart disease and are otherwise healthy,"

"Our findings show otherwise healthy women with high cholesterol were more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke compared to healthy women with lower cholesterol levels," said Kurth. "Our data strongly supports the notion that cholesterol levels are a biologic risk factor for stroke and that avoiding unfavorable cholesterol levels may help prevent stroke."

High Cholesterol Risk Factors

There are a number of factors which determine your level of cholesterol. Some of these are out of your control while others can be controlled by changing your behaviour (such as changing your diet and exercise regime) or by taking cholesterol lowering medication. Risk factors for high cholesterol include:

• Age
  Men over 45 and women over 55 are more at risk.
• Gender
  After menopause, women often have higher total cholesterol levels than men of the same age.
• Family History
  Your risk increases if your parents or siblings suffered from early heart disease.
• Diet
  A diet high in saturated fat raises your total cholesterol level. Foods high in saturated fat include meat, dairy products (especially cream and cheese), lard, coconut oil, and butter.
• Weight
  Being overweight tends to increase your LDL cholesterol level.
• Exercise
  Increased exercise can not only help you to lose weight but can also help to reduce your ‘bad’ cholesterol levels and increase your ‘good’ cholesterol levels.
• Stress
  Stress over the long term has been shown to lead to an increase in cholesterol levels.

If you are at risk of having high blood cholesterol levels then it’s advisable to have your cholesterol level checked by your GP on a regular basis. Your doctor can discuss your risk of heart disease and stroke and methods of reducing the risks.

As explained by the International Diabetes Institute, diabetes occurs when there is too much glucose (sugar) in the blood. There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 is caused when the pancreas stops producing insulin. Type 2 occurs when the pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin and the body does not respond to insulin properly.

The majority of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Initially insulin is still produced by the pancreas, but is less effective than normal. This is called insulin resistance and is an inherited characteristic made worse by carrying extra body fat or being inactive.

Type 2 diabetes is on the rise in Australia, as mentioned by Kathryn:

With the incidence of type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes on the rise in Australia, it’s increasingly vital to spread the message of how it can (usually) be regulated through diet and lifestyle changes. If you want to prevent complications, keep your blood sugar levels stable and continue living a long and healthy life, then diet and lifestyle are important.

The latest GI newsletter contains a comprehensive list of the ten diet and lifestyle changes you need to make to reduce your risk of getting diabetes, or to live well with the condition. If you have type II diabetes, have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, or there’s a history of diabetes in your family, then this is the list for you.

How To Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes

1. Reduce how much you eat.
   If you are overweight, your priority should be to lose weight and body fat. Losing as little as 5 to 10% can make a significant difference to your diabetes risk.
2. Cut back on saturated fats and cholesterol.
   Saturated fats can be found in meat and dairy products so cutting down on these foods is the first step in reducing your LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol.
3. Modify your carbohydrate intake.
   If you have a high carbohydrate diet, try replacing some carbs with lean meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables for a more balanced diet.
4. Eat more regularly.
5. Increase your protein intake, but don’t go overboard.
   Protein won’t increase your blood glucose level and is valuable for satisfying appetite. Legumes, fish, lean red meat and skinless chicken are good sources of protein.
6. Eat more of the healthy foods (such as fruit and vegetables).
   We can all benefit from adding more fruit and vegetables to our diet. Try eating 2 or 3 pieces of fruit for breakfast and add an extra couple of vegetables to your main meals.
7. Cut back on salt.
   Most salt in our diet comes from processed or pre-prepared foods. Try to eat more home cooked meals where you can more easily regulate your salt intake.
8. Be active every day.
   Regular physical activity is not only necessary for reducing your risk of diabetes but for overall well being. Light activity such as walking or cleaning the house is useful exercise but it’s important to do more strenuous exercise as well. Thirty minutes of moderate exercise per day is the minimum required. If your doctor tells you or you suspect you are at risk of diabetes you might find that 90 minutes of exercise per day is more appropriate.
9. Don’t smoke. If you do, quit.
   This clearly doesn’t require any explanation. See your doctor on advice on how to quit smoking.
10. Limit your consumption of alcohol.
    Limiting or avoiding alcohol altogether is advantageous in reducing your risk of diabetes.

Any concerns about diabetes should be discussed with your doctor. Your GP can help you to lose weight, reduce your cholesterol, and help you to quit smoking as well as giving your more specific advice on reducing your risk of getting diabetes.

Most of us wouldn’t even think twice about the possible diseases we can contract while on holiday. Unfortunately, when we travel we find ourselves at higher risk of disease than if we had stayed at home. This is due to a number of reasons such as:

• being in a different climate
• being in a different environment
• having more contact and closer contact with other people
• eating in less sanitary places
• being faced with less hygienic facilities
• participating in more risking behaviour than your would at home
• being exposed to diseases which are less prevalent in Australia

Check with your doctor before departing on holiday for information on travel vaccinations which can prevent a number of the common travel related diseases. However, vaccines are not always available and other methods of prevention are required.

Top 10 Travel Related Diseases

1. Cholera
   Cholera is a disease caused by a bacteria transmitted to humans by food or water. Contamination usually occurs when untreated sewerage is released into waterways and then that water is used in the preparation of food. Symptoms include severe muscle and stomach cramps. Prevention includes sterilising water before use by boiling and/or filtering.
   
2. Dengue Fever
   Dengue fever is caused by a virus found in the tropics. It is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitos. Symptoms include headache, muscle pain, joint pain, and fever along with a bright red rash (although this is not always present). Currently, there is no vaccine available for the prevention of dengue fever so the best way to avoid this disease to avoid being bitten by mosquitos in affected areas.
   
3. Hepatitis
   Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. Symptoms include joint pain, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, and jaundice. There are numerous types of hepatitis but the most common form contracted when travelling is hepatitis A. Hepatitis A can be spread through personal contact, consumption of raw seafood or by contaminated water. A vaccine is available to prevent infection from hepatitis A for life. A vaccine is also available to prevent hepatitis B.
   
4. HIV/AIDS
   HIV infection can occur by the transfer of blood, via sexual contact or by breast milk. Prevention includes avoiding unprotected sexual intercourse and contaminated needles. There is no vaccine available to prevent infection.
   
5. Japanese Encephalitis
   Japanese encephalitis is a disease spread by infected mosquitos. Travellers to Southeast Asia and the Far East are at the most risk. Sever neck rigidity, fever, and headache are symptoms of this sometimes fatal disease. See your doctor about vaccines available to prevent Japanese encephalitis.
   
6. Malaria
   Malaria is an infectious disease found in tropical and sub-tropical areas. It is generally spread by mosquitos and is particularly common in Sub-Sahara Africa. Symptoms include fever, shivering, joint pain, and vomiting. No vaccine is currently available for Malaria however, preventative drugs are available to help reduce your risk of infection.
   
7. Meningococcal Meningitis
   This disease is a bacterial infection spread by close contact with an infected person. It is more common in young people. Symptoms include headache, fever, chills, stiff neck, and a rash. A vaccine is available to prevent certain groups of the meningococcal bacteria.
   
8. Rabies
   Rabies is a virus affecting mammals, including humans. It is usually spread by the bite of an infected animal such as a dog, cat, bat or fox. Initial symptoms to appear are similar to the flu. Post exposure vaccinations are effective if administered promptly. Although Australia is rabies free, most countries are not. The vast majority of cases of rabies occur in Africa, Asia, and South America.
   
9. Typhoid
   Typhoid is a common bacterial illness transmitted by ingested food or water contaminated by the faeces of an infected person. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, and diarrhoea. You can be vaccinated against typhoid fever and vaccination is recommended for people travelling to certain areas of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
   
10. Yellow Fever
    Yellow fever is a viral disease spread primarily by mosquitos. Symptoms include fever, headache, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice, and a slow pulse. Yellow fever is preventable by a vaccine which gives immunity for around 10 years. Vaccination may be necessary for travellers to certain regions in Africa, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Travel vaccination requirements are subject to change. Please see your doctor for full information on vaccinations and other prevention methods well before travelling to high risk destinations.

The frequent consumption of red meat is often linked to health problems in both men and women. A recent study has linked red meat to an increase in the risk of getting breast cancer.

Daily consumption of red meat might may significantly increase a woman’s risk of certain breast cancers, even before she reaches menopause, according to a new study.

Women who ate large amounts of red meat were more than twice as likely to suffer hormone-related breast cancer, researchers found. Chemicals added during meat processing or growth hormones given to cattle may be to blame, they speculate.

Women in the study who ate more than 1.5 servings of red meat per day had nearly double the risk of developing hormone-sensitive breast cancer as those who ate three or fewer servings per week, the team found. A single serving equates to a quarter-pound hamburger, for example, or 100 grams of red meat.

While few studies have looked at the link between red meat intake and breast cancer in young women, earlier studies have found a possible link in older women. And red meat consumption has been suggested as a cause of other tumour types, such as bowel cancer.

While the risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer is low, it is worth reviewing how many servings of meat you are having on a daily basis. As eating a wide variety of foods in moderation is often cited as the key to a healthy diet, you may wish to reduce your servings of red meat (if you eat more than one serving per day) and replace it with fish, chicken or simply with more vegetables.

A number of new strains of gonorrhoea are becoming more widespread in a number of countries including Australia and New Zealand. This is resulting in some cases of this common sexually transmitted disease going undiagnosed. These new strains have been labelled ’stealth’ strains:

"Stealth" strains of gonorrhoea that fail to show up in tests are on the rise across the world, researchers have discovered, because the tests used by doctors to identify the bacteria look for an enzyme no longer present in those strains.

The rising prevalence of these strains was found in Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland and Denmark.

Untreated gonorrhoea infections can cause severe and permanent health problems and can even be fatal. It can also cause infertility by harming the testicles or fallopian tubes.

Should You Be Concerned?

Gonorrhoea is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections so everyone who is sexually active should be concerned and regularly tested for this disease.

What is Gonorrhoea and What are the Symptoms?

Femail.com.au has an easy to understand explanation of gonorrhoea and the symptoms to look for:

It is a bacterial infection, which is passed on through sexual intercourse that infects the internal genital tract organs e.g. the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. Sometimes there are symptoms, but as mentioned before a high percentage infected are asymptomatic (no symptoms).

If the disease goes untreated complications in females include adhesions, which form on the fallopian tubes and can result in infertility. If the woman is pregnant, gonorrhoea can be passed on to the baby and can also cause the baby to be born blind.

In both males and females a type of arthritis can occur (gonococcal arthritis) causing crippling joint pain and swelling. Fatal septicemia (infection in the blood stream) is another complication that can occur if this disease goes untreated.

If the individual if to suffer symptoms these may include:

Women

• Increase in vaginal discharge
• Pain on urination Irritation of the anus
• Abdominal pain
• Fever

Men

These symptoms are the similar to females, though are more likely to be more severe, however they may also include:

• Discharge from the penis
• Pain on urination
• Irritation of the anus
• Inflamed testicles
• Inflamed prostate gland (size can be examined a by doctor through an anal examination)

Treatment is fairly straight forward and effective. A short course of antibiotics is usually all that is required.

If you are expressing any of the above symptoms or haven’t had a recent health checkup then we recommend you make an appointment to see your GP as soon as possible.