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In
1968, The Zombies made it to #3 on the Billboard charts with
a song that reminded listeners it was "the time of the season
for loving." It's highly unlikely that any group is going
to top the musical charts writing about the following subject,
but a new study suggests that winter may not be the best "time
of the season" when it comes to high cholesterol levels.
Researchers examined 517 healthy people over a 12-month period,
documenting their cholesterol levels, diet, activity, exposure
to light, and general behavior. While there were no significant
changes in diet and calorie intake, cholesterol levels varied
an average of 3.9 points per season in men, with a peak increase
in December; in women, seasonal cholesterol levels varied
as much as 5.4 points, peaking in January. Overall, 22 percent
more participants had total cholesterol levels of 240 or higher
(considered high cholesterol) in the winter than in the summer.
 According to the researchers, the changes in blood cholesterol
levels were due in large part to seasonal changes in blood
plasma volume, which resulted from changes in temperature
and/or physical activity levels between the winter and summer
months.
Now that you know the affect of the seasons, have your cholesterol
checked. And talk to your doctor of chiropractic about ways
to change your diet or increase your activity levels year
round.
Reference:
Ockene IS, Chiriboga DE, Stanek EJ, et al. Seasonal variation
in serum cholesterol levels. Archives of Internal Medicine,
April 26, 2004;164:863-870.
To read more about general health, go to https://www.chiroweb.com/find/archives/general.
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