How high cholesterol, also called hypercholesterolemia, may affect your health and cholesterol. A short guide:
1. High Cholesterol Basics: High cholesterol is when you have too much cholesterol in your blood¹. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like thing that your body needs to make healthy cells¹. But, too much cholesterol can make your risk of heart disease higher¹.
2. Things That Can Make High Cholesterol Worse:
- Food: Eating foods that have a lot of saturated fats and trans fats can make your cholesterol levels bad¹. These are foods like red meat, milk products that are not low-fat, and processed foods¹.
- Exercise: Moving your body regularly can help make high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good” cholesterol, higher and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol, lower¹.
- Weight: Being too heavy or obese can make your cholesterol levels higher¹.
- Smoking: Smoking can make your good cholesterol lower, especially in women, and make your bad cholesterol higher¹.
- Age: As you get older, your liver gets worse at taking out LDL cholesterol¹.
- Diabetes: High blood sugar makes LDL cholesterol higher and HDL cholesterol lower¹. High blood sugar also hurts the lining of your arteries¹.
- Genes: Some genetic problems, like familial hypercholesterolemia, can make LDL cholesterol levels very high¹.
High cholesterol can be passed down, but it’s often because of bad lifestyle choices, which make it possible to prevent and treat¹. A good diet, regular exercise, and sometimes pills can help make high cholesterol lower¹.
High cholesterol has no signs, so a blood test is the only way to find out if you have it¹. Regular cholesterol checks are important, especially if you have a family history of high cholesterol, heart disease, or other problems, like diabetes or high blood pressure¹.
(Note: This is a general guide and different people might need different things. Always talk to a doctor for advice that is right for you.)
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