John, a 55-year-old professor, walks/jogs one to two miles every other day. He is 5'7" tall and weighs 166 lbs

Question

He never smokes, eats little to no fruits or vegetables, enjoys having a steak with baked potato or a hamburger with fries every day, and must have a bowl of ice cream after each evening meal. His recent physical checkup results show the following: Blood Pressure 100/70 mmHg, Total Cholesterol 220 mg/dL, LDL 110 mg/dL, HDL 32 mg/dL, Triglycerides 169 mg/dL, and normal EKG. Does John have an increased risk for CHD? If he does, identify the risk factors and discuss the changes John needs to make in order to decrease his CHD risk.

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Risk factors: His BMI is in the "overweight" category. His cholesterol profile is abnormal (borderline overall cholesterol, low HDL, and high triglycerides). He does not consume a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables, if any, and consumes a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet (daily steak or hamburger and ice cream).
Changes needed to decrease CHD risk: Increase physical activity: 60-90 minutes per day, 5-6 times per week; eat 6-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day; reduce or avoid daily consumption of steaks, hamburgers, and ice cream.