Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is High LDL?CausesOther Conditions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is High LDL?
Causes
Other Conditions
A lot of factors can cause yourlow-density lipoprotein (LDL)cholesterol to be high, including genetics, being overweight, diet, and more.
In this article, you’ll learn what cholesterol levels are considered healthy versus high, how they’re measured, and the way in which various contributing factors increase your levels.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
LDL is a lipoprotein—a fat-like substance that carries cholesterol to cells. Optimal LDL cholesterol levels are below 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Anything over 160 mg/dL is considered high, and an LDL levels of 190 mg/dL and up is dangerously high.
When you have too much LDL cholesterol in your blood, it can build up and clog arteries. This can lead to health problems such ascoronary artery disease (CAD),heart attack,peripheral artery disease, andstroke.
High LDL cholesterol has no warning signs or symptoms. The first sign can be a blood clot, heart attack, or stroke. That’s why it’s important to regularly have your cholesterol levels tested.
The higher your LDL level, the more important it is to take steps to lower it. People with diagnosed cardiovascular disease should aim for an LDL level below 70 mg/dL.
What Can Cause High LDL?
Several factors can raise your LDL cholesterol. High LDL cholesterol can be due to diet, genetics, a lack of exercise, or a side effect of medication.
Lower “Bad” LDL Cholesterol While Raising “Good” HDL Cholesterol
Unhealthy Diet
What you eat can have a big impact on your LDL levels. In particular, two types of fat—saturated fat and trans fats—can cause high LDL cholesterol. These are fats that are solid at room temperature.
According to the American Heart Association, saturated fat should make up only about 5% of your daily calories. Foods high in saturated fat should be eaten sparingly and include:
Trans fats, a type of manufactured fat, are polyunsaturated fats that have been altered from a liquid oil to a solid fat through a chemical process called hydrogenation.
Trans fats are listed on the nutrition facts label on food packaging and can be found in:
Added sugar or corn syrup can also raise LDL, so avoid them. Read labels, as these can be in surprising places.
Eat These Foods to Lower LDLSome foods can help you lower high LDL levels or maintain healthy levels. For example, eating unsaturated fats can help reduce LDL cholesterol levels while raising HDL.Heart-healthy foods to enjoy include:High-fiber foods:Leafy vegetables, oatmeal, beans, and applesLean proteins:Fish, skinless chicken, nuts, beans, fat-free or low-fat milkLow-fat foods:Fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grain bread, fat-free or low-fat yogurts, and cheesesUnsaturatedfats:Avocados, nuts, and olive oil
Eat These Foods to Lower LDL
Some foods can help you lower high LDL levels or maintain healthy levels. For example, eating unsaturated fats can help reduce LDL cholesterol levels while raising HDL.Heart-healthy foods to enjoy include:High-fiber foods:Leafy vegetables, oatmeal, beans, and applesLean proteins:Fish, skinless chicken, nuts, beans, fat-free or low-fat milkLow-fat foods:Fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grain bread, fat-free or low-fat yogurts, and cheesesUnsaturatedfats:Avocados, nuts, and olive oil
Some foods can help you lower high LDL levels or maintain healthy levels. For example, eating unsaturated fats can help reduce LDL cholesterol levels while raising HDL.
Heart-healthy foods to enjoy include:
Being Obese or Overweight
Another major risk factor for high LDL is carrying excess body weight. It limits your body’s ability to remove this type of cholesterol from the bloodstream and is directly related to higher levels.
Despite its flaws, the most commonly used measure to evaluate weight is thebody mass index (BMI). It uses weight and height to estimate body fat. The resulting number is then used to categorize people as:
BMI is not perfect. BMI calculations may, for example, overestimate body fat in athletes or older people.
Even so, higher BMI scores should be addressed. Research has shown that even a modest reduction in weight—say, 5% to 10% of the starting figure—lowers LDL and reduces other cardiovascular risk factors.
BMI is a dated, flawed measure. It does not take into account factors such asbody composition, ethnicity, sex, race, and age. Even though it is a biased measure, BMI is still widely used in the medical community because it’s an inexpensive and quick way to analyze a person’s potential health status and outcomes.
Researchers Say Waist-to-Hip Ratio Should Replace BMI—Here’s Why
Lack of Physical Exercise
Low physical activity can also drive LDL higher. Even modest increases in exercise can help a great deal.
Your healthcare provider may suggest up to 90 minutes of physical activity a day, but even 30 to 45 minutes on a regular basis can be helpful.
At a bare minimum, most guidelines recommend that adults get 2.5 hours of moderate exercise every week. This can include:
Tobacco and Alcohol
Among the many negative health effects of smoking/using tobacco are the following:
Quitting this habit, or not starting, goes a long way in managing cholesterol and reducing your risk of heart disease and cancer.
Second-hand smoke—inhaling someone else’s tobacco smoke—is linked with many of the same health problems.If you’re a smoker, smoke outside and away from nonsmokers. If you’re not a smoker, try to avoid second-hand smoke.
Also, because of its many effects on the body, excessive alcohol consumption and alcoholism are linked with higher cholesterol levels.Limiting your drinking or stopping altogether can help you manage your levels.
Want to Quit?If you want to quit smoking or drinking but are struggling with the addiction, talk to your healthcare provider about things that mayhelp you stop.
Want to Quit?
If you want to quit smoking or drinking but are struggling with the addiction, talk to your healthcare provider about things that mayhelp you stop.
What Is Alcoholism and How to Get Treatment
Age and Sex
Your age and sex can also have a significant influence on LDL levels. As people age, it usually rises.
Between the ages of 20 and 59, people assigned male at birth (AMAB) tend to have higher LDL levels than people assigned female at birth (AFAB). In contrast, people who were AFAB and over 60 typically have higher LDL values than those who were AMAB.
Menopause can also raise your risk of high LDL cholesterol.More frequent LDL monitoring is recommended when you’re post-menopausal.
Genetics
As with many health conditions, a family history of high cholesterol increases the risk of your developing it.
One in every 500 people has a genetic condition calledfamilial hypercholesterolemia(FH)that leads to high LDL levels.This condition is especially concerning because it’s often undetected and is tied to early heart attacks, strokes, and deaths.
In FH, a gene that’s essential for clearing LDL cholesterol from the bloodstream malfunctions. That’s due to faulty receptor proteins.
If you only get this gene from one parent (heterogenous FH), about half of these proteins don’t work. If you get one from each parent, it’s called homogenous, and the disease is more severe, as none of the proteins work.
If any of your family members have tough-to-treat high cholesterol, or you have a family history of heart disease, you may want to get genetic screening for FH.
Ethnicity
Medications
Someprescription medicationscan also cause an elevated LDL level. You and your healthcare provider should weigh the risks and benefits of these drugs while considering your personal and family medical history.
The following classes of drugs can raise LDL levels.
Heart Disease and Blood Pressure Drugs
Drugs for heart conditions and high blood pressure can increase LDL levels. That makes managing your cholesterol levels both harder and more important. Classes of drugs that do this include:
Steroids
These powerful anti-inflammatory medications can boost your cholesterol. Drugs in this category include:
Antiviral Drugs
Antiviral medications for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C can be a problem as well. These include protease inhibitors such as:
Immunosuppressants
Someimmunosuppressant drugs, which are used to prevent rejection after organ transplants, may be a problem when it comes to LDL levels. That’s especially true of:
Nervous System Drugs
Some drugs that act on the brain and central nervous system (CNS) may directly affect LDL. These includeanticonvulsant drugsfor epilepsy and other conditions, including:
Other Health Conditions That Make LDL Cholesterol High
Summary
LDL is considered “bad” cholesterol because too-high levels can lead to atherosclerosis in the arteries and contribute to problems like heart attack and stroke. Some factors that raise LDL levels cannot be changed, such as age, ethnicity, and genetics.
However, other factors are modifiable and can help you treat high LDL. These include lifestyle habits like diet, exercise, and smoking. Changing these factors is usually the first step toward lowering LDL.
15 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institutes of Health.LDL: the “bad” cholesterol.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.LDL: the “bad" cholesterol.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.LDL and HDL cholesterol: “bad” and “good” cholesterol.American Academy of Family Physicians.High cholesterol.American Heart Association.Saturated fat.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Facts about trans fats.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High cholesterol facts.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing high cholesterol.National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Assessing your weight and health risk.Brown J, Buscemi J, Milsom V, Malcolm R, O’Neil P.Effects on cardiovascular risk factors of weight losses limited to 5–10 %.Transl Behav Med. 2016;6(3):339-346. doi:10.1007/s13142-015-0353-9Cleveland Clinic.10 tips for lower cholesterol.Cleveland Clinic.Dangers of secondhand smoke: risks and prevention.Swiger K, Martin S, Blaha M, Toth P, Nasir K; Michos E, Gerstenblith G, Blumenthal R, Jones S.Narrowing sex differences in lipoprotein cholesterol subclasses following mid-life: the very large database of lipids (VLDL-10B).J Am Heart Assoc. 2014;3:000 e000851 doi: 10.1161/JAHA.114.000851Harvard Medical School.When high cholesterol is a family affair.Herink M, Ito M.Medication induced changes in lipid and lipoproteins.
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institutes of Health.LDL: the “bad” cholesterol.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.LDL: the “bad" cholesterol.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.LDL and HDL cholesterol: “bad” and “good” cholesterol.American Academy of Family Physicians.High cholesterol.American Heart Association.Saturated fat.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Facts about trans fats.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High cholesterol facts.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing high cholesterol.National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Assessing your weight and health risk.Brown J, Buscemi J, Milsom V, Malcolm R, O’Neil P.Effects on cardiovascular risk factors of weight losses limited to 5–10 %.Transl Behav Med. 2016;6(3):339-346. doi:10.1007/s13142-015-0353-9Cleveland Clinic.10 tips for lower cholesterol.Cleveland Clinic.Dangers of secondhand smoke: risks and prevention.Swiger K, Martin S, Blaha M, Toth P, Nasir K; Michos E, Gerstenblith G, Blumenthal R, Jones S.Narrowing sex differences in lipoprotein cholesterol subclasses following mid-life: the very large database of lipids (VLDL-10B).J Am Heart Assoc. 2014;3:000 e000851 doi: 10.1161/JAHA.114.000851Harvard Medical School.When high cholesterol is a family affair.Herink M, Ito M.Medication induced changes in lipid and lipoproteins.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institutes of Health.LDL: the “bad” cholesterol.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.LDL: the “bad" cholesterol.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.LDL and HDL cholesterol: “bad” and “good” cholesterol.American Academy of Family Physicians.High cholesterol.American Heart Association.Saturated fat.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Facts about trans fats.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High cholesterol facts.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing high cholesterol.National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Assessing your weight and health risk.Brown J, Buscemi J, Milsom V, Malcolm R, O’Neil P.Effects on cardiovascular risk factors of weight losses limited to 5–10 %.Transl Behav Med. 2016;6(3):339-346. doi:10.1007/s13142-015-0353-9Cleveland Clinic.10 tips for lower cholesterol.Cleveland Clinic.Dangers of secondhand smoke: risks and prevention.Swiger K, Martin S, Blaha M, Toth P, Nasir K; Michos E, Gerstenblith G, Blumenthal R, Jones S.Narrowing sex differences in lipoprotein cholesterol subclasses following mid-life: the very large database of lipids (VLDL-10B).J Am Heart Assoc. 2014;3:000 e000851 doi: 10.1161/JAHA.114.000851Harvard Medical School.When high cholesterol is a family affair.Herink M, Ito M.Medication induced changes in lipid and lipoproteins.
National Institutes of Health.LDL: the “bad” cholesterol.
U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.LDL: the “bad" cholesterol.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.LDL and HDL cholesterol: “bad” and “good” cholesterol.
American Academy of Family Physicians.High cholesterol.
American Heart Association.Saturated fat.
U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Facts about trans fats.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High cholesterol facts.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Preventing high cholesterol.
National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Assessing your weight and health risk.
Brown J, Buscemi J, Milsom V, Malcolm R, O’Neil P.Effects on cardiovascular risk factors of weight losses limited to 5–10 %.Transl Behav Med. 2016;6(3):339-346. doi:10.1007/s13142-015-0353-9
Cleveland Clinic.10 tips for lower cholesterol.
Cleveland Clinic.Dangers of secondhand smoke: risks and prevention.
Swiger K, Martin S, Blaha M, Toth P, Nasir K; Michos E, Gerstenblith G, Blumenthal R, Jones S.Narrowing sex differences in lipoprotein cholesterol subclasses following mid-life: the very large database of lipids (VLDL-10B).J Am Heart Assoc. 2014;3:000 e000851 doi: 10.1161/JAHA.114.000851
Harvard Medical School.When high cholesterol is a family affair.
Herink M, Ito M.Medication induced changes in lipid and lipoproteins.
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