Cholesterol Causes

A variety of things can affect the cholesterol levels in the blood. Some of these things can be controlled and others cannot.

Cholesterol cause that can be controlled

• Certain foods we eat have some fats that raise the cholesterol level.
  • Saturated fat raises the LDL cholesterol level more than anything else in the diet.
  • Trans fats are made when vegetable oil is hydrogenated to harden it. Trans fats raises cholesterol levels.
  • High cholesterol sources egg yolks, meat, and cheese.
• Body weight - overweight tends to increases the LDL level and lowers the HDL level, and increases the total cholesterol level.
• Physical activity – regular physical activity or exercise can help to lower the LDL level and also help to raise the HDL level.

Cholesterol cause that cannot be controlled

• Heredity or genetics - High blood cholesterol can run in families. A genetic condition (familial hypercholesterolemia) results in very high LDL cholesterol levels. It starts at birth, and may result in a heart attack at a young age.
• Age and sex - from puberty, men have lower levels of HDL than women. As women and men get older, their LDL cholesterol levels slowly rises. Women’s before menopause have lower LDL cholesterol levels when compared with men, but after menopause women’s have higher levels of LDL cholesterol than men.

Next Cholesterol Screening Tests