VOA常速英语:给力：心脏病和中风可通过验血进行预测了

Getting a blood test to measure cholesterol is part of a regular physical for many adults.But now, there may be a better test to see who’s at risk for heart attack or stroke.This test measures the level of ceramides in your blood.

“Ceramides are lipids, similar to cholesterol, so they are waxy molecule.Unlike cholesterol, they are very biologically active, so cholesterol is barely …”

Jeff Meeusen spoke by Skype, ceramides help LDL, the bad kind of cholesterol cross into the wall of the artery.Once it’s there, he said, ceramides develop plaque, which causes the artery to harden and become narrow.This increases the risk of heart attack or stroke.

“We found even if you have a very low LDL cholesterol,this ceramide test is able to identify who is going to be at risk for developing a heart attack or stroke later in life.”

The good thing is, patients can improve their health by taking a statin,one of classic drugs that lower the risk of heart attack by 40 percent.

Lifestyle changes like losing weight and exercising can also reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.What’s more, Meeusen says, when they make these changes, patients can see better results in just 6 weeks.And that gives them an incentive to take better care of their health.

Carol Pearson, VOA news, Washington.