Cholesterol is a type of blood fat that is made in the liver. It’s found in some foods, too.  The human body needs some cholesterol to keep us going, but just like anything in this world, having too much of anything is bad. There are two types of cholesterol.

Hypercholesterolemia is a lipid disorder in which your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, is too high. This makes fat collect in your arteries (atherosclerosis), which puts you at a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. Atherosclerosis is the main cause of cardiovascular disease, which is the reason for more deaths than anything else in the world. Risk factors include:

What makes high cholesterol so dangerous is that there are no symptoms, you can look slim and fit and still have high cholesterol.  When to see a doctor? According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a person’s first cholesterol screening should occur between the ages of 9 and 11, and then be repeated every five years after that. The NHLBI recommends that cholesterol screenings occur every one to two years for men ages 45 to 65 and for women ages 55 to 65. People over 65 should receive cholesterol tests annually. If your test results aren’t within desirable ranges, your doctor might recommend more-frequent measurements. Your doctor…

High cholesterol can cause a dangerous accumulation of cholesterol and other deposits on the walls of your arteries (atherosclerosis). These deposits (plaques) can reduce blood flow through your arteries, which can cause complications, such as: Stroke. Similar to a heart attack, a stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks blood flow to part of your brain.

Factors that can increase your risk of unhealthy high cholesterol levels include:

The same heart-healthy lifestyle changes that can lower your cholesterol can help prevent you from having high cholesterol in the first place. To help prevent high cholesterol, you can: