Up to 10 percent of students have high cholesterol

College students see themselves at the peak of health, and for the most part, they are right.

But even 20-somethings can have high cholesterol because of family history, bad diets or other reasons.

"That could lead to early heart disease, heart attack or stroke. If you do find out, it can be reversed by diet, lifestyle or medication," according to Angie Ruhlen, a nutritionist and registered dietitian at the University Health Center, where students can get free cholesterol screenings today through Wednesday.

Faculty and staff also can get the screenings at a discounted rate of $10.

In a survey conducted for the University Health Center in October, about 4 percent of a random sample of UGA students said they had been diagnosed with or treated for high cholesterol within the previous year, said Gloria Varley, assistant director of the health center and manager of its health promotion department.

Some studies say that as many as 10 percent of students could have high cholesterol or related problems.

"What I've seen over the years that we've been doing this is that younger adults have had higher cholesterol levels than I would have imagined," Varley said.

High cholesterol and high blood pressure are even more common as people grow older, so area hospitals, labs and other medical institutions also offer low-cost screening, often on a walk-in basis.

At the Clarke County Health Department and every other county department in the 10-county Northeast Health District, anyone can walk in without an appointment and get n

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