What Causes High Cholesterol?
Lifestyle has an impact
You can make lifestyle changes to improve your cholesterol levels. Small steps matter.
Your body naturally produces all the cholesterol it needs. An unhealthy lifestyle can raise LDL levels. This is a common cause of high LDL cholesterol.
Behaviors that can negatively affect your cholesterol levels include:
- Frequent consumption of foods high in saturated fats and trans fats
- Being less physically active
- Being overweight
- Tobacco use or exposure to secondhand smoke
How to prevent and treat high cholesterol.
Heredity can play a role
Some people inherit genes from their mother or father that cause them to be born with very high LDL cholesterol levels. This is called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). If not identified and treated early in life, people with FH are at increased risk for premature heart disease and stroke.
If you have a family history of FH or problems related to high cholesterol, get your levels checked.
Make the changes worth making
If you have high cholesterol, starting with small changes in your daily routine can be a great first step to lowering your risk of heart disease and stroke. These habits can make a meaningful difference:
- Eating a heart healthy diet
- Getting regular physical activity
- Reaching or maintaining a healthy weight
- Avoiding tobacco products
- Managing blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol
- Getting restful sleep
Sometimes lifestyle changes alone can’t lower cholesterol enough, and cholesterol-lowering medication may be needed to help reach healthy levels. Your health care professional may prescribe a cholesterol-lowering medication to help reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.
