Over 200,000 “Our Future Health” clinic appointments show that a huge number of people are at risk of serious diseases, including stroke and heart attack.
The program has revealed that over half of people (54%) have high cholesterol and over 1 in 4 have high blood pressure.
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation says,
“These findings from Our Future Health support previous estimates that show millions of people in the UK are living with undetected high blood pressure and raised cholesterol, which can put them at significant risk of a heart attack or stroke. Tackling these treatable silent killers must remain a priority if we are to prevent people suffering or dying needlessly.”
Over a third (34%) of male participants had high blood pressure, compared to just under a quarter of women (22%). A higher rate of women (62%) tested had high cholesterol compared to men (46%).
High cholesterol was most prevalent in volunteers in their 50s, affecting ⅔ of people (67%) aged 50 to 59.
Mike Asher, CEO and Co-Founder of Better2Know, a private provider of preventative health home tests said, “The data from Our Future Heath shows that high cholesterol can affect anyone. We believe all adults should know their cholesterol levels, no matter what their age.
“Even if you haven’t been invited by the NHS for a cholesterol check, it’s a good idea to have one anyway because it’s one way to know if you’re at risk of serious health concerns like heart disease and stroke.
“Most people don’t know there’s a simple home test you can do to check your cholesterol levels and get laboratory standard results. It’s an easy way to get peace of mind, or take further action. The best bit? Results are available in as little as 24 hours from when your sample reaches the lab. We’re finding more and more people are looking for ways to take control of their health without needing to visit a clinic.”
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What is normal?
HeartUK.org provides a useful table:
This table is a general guide for ideal cholesterol and triglyceride levels for healthy adults in the UK. If you have a condition such as heart disease or diabetes, your target levels may be lower – your doctor will be able to tell you your individual targets.
| mmol/L | mg/dL | |
| Total (serum) cholesterol | below 5.0 | below 193 |
| Non-HDL cholesterol | below 4.0 | below 155 |
| LDL cholesterol | below 3.0 | below 116 |
| HDL cholesterol | above 1.0 for a manabove 1.2 for a woman(ideally around 1.4. Very high levels may not give extra protection) | above 39 for a manabove 46 for a woman |
| TC:HDL ratio | Above 6 is considered high risk – the lower this figure is the better | Above 6 is considered high risk – the lower this figure is the better |
Dr Andrea Mottram, 54, a GP who joined Our Future Health in Manchester said,
“Our Future Health is a fabulous opportunity. For a lot of people, things like cholesterol and blood pressure are often not found to be a problem until it’s too late – until they’ve had angina, a heart attack or stroke.”
Want to join the study? Our Future Health is recruiting up to five million volunteers across the UK to create one of the most detailed pictures ever of people’s health, which will transform the prevention, detection, and treatment of common diseases.
Take a home sample test and get your cholesterol level results in as little as 24 hours.
This post is sponsored by Better2Know
