"We are thrilled that so many football fans took the time to fill out this quiz and see where they stand," said George A. Beller, M.D., president of the ACC. "But the results of the quiz send a red flag that many NFL fans may be at risk for heart disease, and should be watching their heart health. We want those fans with at least one risk factor to take action -- that means talking to a doctor about monitoring their cholesterol numbers, eating a healthy diet and exercising."

Fans taking the online heart disease risk quiz were asked whether they had any of the following risk factors for heart disease: smoking, family history of heart disease, low HDL ("good") cholesterol, high blood pressure, age 45 and over if male or age 55 and over if female, existing heart disease or diabetes. Based on their risk factors, the quiz provided individuals with a target total and LDL "bad" cholesterol numbers based on medical guidelines.

NFL fans vote from the heart

Each week of football season the NFL Cholesterol Screen Team named several NFL players as nominees for the NFL.com All-Heart Player of the Week award to recognize heartfelt performances on the field. The fans voted on the winning player and the NFL Cholesterol Screen Team recognized the winning player by donating 250 cholesterol tests to a medical facility in his local community. Today, to mark the culmination of the first season of All-Heart awards, Brian Griese of the Denver Broncos was named the NFL.com All-Heart Performance of the Year award winner. To acknowledge this honor, an additional 2,000 cholesterol tests and a cholesterol-testing machine were donated to University of Colorado, Health Sciences Center School of Nursing in Denver. In addition, the NFL Cholesterol Screen Team will provide 150 cholesterol tests to a hospital or clinic in each U.S. city with an NFL franchise, so that NFL fans nationwide can benefit from the efforts of this unique program. In total, the NFL Screen Team donated more than 10,000 free cholesterol tests to medical facilities nationwide during the season. The NFL Cholesterol Screen Team kicked-off the NFL.com All-Heart Player of the Week award to provide fans with an easy way to learn about the dangers of high cholesterol, encourage fans to get a cholesterol test and also recognize NFL players who showed heart on the football field.

Free information for fans about high cholesterol

For fans who want more information, a free educational brochure about both surviving high cholesterol and reducing the risk for heart disease is available through the NFL Cholesterol Screen Team. The brochure offers advice for talking to your doctor about heart disease and outlines a game plan for fighting the disease through lifestyle changes and, when appropriate, medication. People may receive a free copy by calling toll-free: 1-877-NFL-9004.

Heart disease affects about 12 million Americans¹. This year, an estimated 1.1 million Americans will have a new or repeat heart attack, and more than 40 percent of the people experiencing these attacks will die from them².

Support of the NFL Cholesterol Screen Team is a cholesterol education partnership of the National Football League, the ACC, and the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc.

¹ American Heart Association 2000 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update, "Cardiovascular Diseases." (http://www.americanheart.org/statistics/03cardio.html)

² American Heart Association 2000 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update, "Coronary Heart Disease and Angina Pectoris." (http://www.americanheart.org/statistics/04cornry.html)

SOURCE: American College of Cardiology

WEB SITE: http://www.americanheart.org/

WEB SITE: http://www.nfl.com/

CO: American College of Cardiology; National Football League (NFL); Merck & Co., Inc.