functioning of the body. It's mainly made by the liver, but can also be found in
some foods.
Having an excessively high level of lipids in your blood (hyperlipidemia) can have an
effect on your health.
High cholesterol itself doesn't usually cause any symptoms, but it increases your risk
of serious health conditions.
About cholesterol
Cholesterol is carried in your blood by proteins. When the 2 combine, they're called
lipoproteins.
The amount of cholesterol in the blood – both HDL and LDL – can be measured with
a blood test.
The recommended cholesterol levels in the blood vary between those with a higher
or lower risk of developing arterial disease.
This is because cholesterol can build up in the artery wall, restricting the blood flow
to your heart, brain and the rest of your body. It also increases the risk of a blood
clot developing somewhere in your body.
Your risk of developing coronary heart disease also rises as your blood's cholesterol
level increases. This can cause pain in your chest or arm during stress or physical
activity (angina).
What causes high cholesterol?
Many factors can increase your chances of having heart problems or a stroke if you
have high cholesterol.
These include:
an unhealthy diet – in particular, eating high levels of saturated fat
smoking – a chemical found in cigarettes called acrolein stops HDL transporting cholesterol
from fatty deposits to the liver, leading to narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
having diabetes or high blood pressure (hypertension)
having a family history of stroke or heart disease
An ideal level of HDL is above 1mmol/L. A lower level of HDL can increase your risk
of heart disease.
Your ratio of total cholesterol to HDL may also be calculated. This is your total
cholesterol level divided by your HDL level. Generally, this ratio should be below 4,
as a higher ratio increases your risk of heart disease.
However, cholesterol is only 1 risk factor and the level at which specific treatment is
required will depend on whether other risk factors, such as smoking and high blood
pressure, are also present.
You can swap food containing saturated fat for fruit, vegetables and wholegrain
cereals. This will also help prevent high cholesterolreturning.
Find out more about what foods to avoid to help reduce your high cholesterol.
Other lifestyle changes, such as taking regular exercise and giving up smoking (if
you smoke), can also make a big difference in helping to lower your cholesterol.
If these measures don't reduce your cholesterol and you continue to have a high risk
of developing heart disease, your GP may prescribe a cholesterol-lowering
medication, such as statins.
Your GP will take into account the risk of any side effects from statins, and the
benefit of lowering your cholesterol must outweigh any risks.