Cholesterol

Your body needs some cholesterol. But if you have too much, it starts to build up in your arteries. (Arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.) This is called hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis. It is usually a slow process that gets worse as you get older.

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What Causes High Blood Cholesterol?

Many factors can contribute to high blood cholesterol levels or cholesterol levels that are out of balance. Some of these factors are within your control, and some are not.

A variety of things can affect the cholesterol levels in your blood. Some of these things you can control and others you cannot.

You can control:

What you eat. Certain foods have types of fat that raise your cholesterol level.

- Saturated fat raises your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level more than anything else in your diet.

- Trans fatty acids (trans fats) are made when vegetable oil is hydrogenated to harden it. Trans fatty acids also raise cholesterol levels.

- Cholesterol is found in foods that come from animal sources, for example, egg yolks, meat, and cheese.

Your weight. Being overweight tends to increase your LDL level, lower your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level, and increase your total cholesterol level.

Your activity. Lack of regular exercise can lead to weight gain, which could raise your LDL cholesterol level. Regular exercise can help you lose weight and lower your LDL level. It can also help you raise your HDL level.

You cannot control:

Heredity. High blood cholesterol can run in families. An inherited genetic condition results in very high LDL cholesterol levels. It begins at birth, and may result in a heart attack at an early age.

Age and sex. Starting at puberty, men have lower levels of HDL than women. As women and men get older, their LDL cholesterol levels rise. Younger women have lower LDL cholesterol levels than men, but after age 55, women have higher levels than men.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of High Blood Cholesterol?

There are usually no signs or symptoms of high blood cholesterol. Many people don't know that their cholesterol level is too high.

Everyone age 20 and older should have their cholesterol levels checked at least once every 5 years.

You and your doctor can discuss how often you should be tested.

Besides your genetic make-up, many lifestyle factors affect cholesterol levels and cholesterol balance:

What you eat. Eating too much saturated fat and cholesterol can cause your body to make more cholesterol, raising your blood cholesterol levels. You can lower your cholesterol level by cutting down on animal fat and other fats and eating foods rich in starch and fiber, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

How active you are. Regular exercise not only reduces total blood cholesterol, but it lowers the bad kind of cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) while raising the good kind of cholesterol (HDL cholesterol).

What you weigh. Being overweight contributes to rising blood cholesterol levels. Fortunately, changes to lower cholesterol levels also help you control your weight, a double benefit.

Your hormones. Women get a natural boost in their HDL cholesterol (the good kind of cholesterol) from their hormones until they reach menopause. After menopause, taking estrogen can help maintain higher HDL cholesterol levels.