Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat It IsWhy It May Be HighManagementWhen to See a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What It Is
Why It May Be High
Management
When to See a Provider
It is possible for your cholesterol to be high even when you are eating a healthy diet and exercising. Thoughhigh cholesterolis typically related to your diet, you may also have a genetic condition that makes it hard for your body to eliminate excess cholesterol. Smoking, age, and weight can also contribute to high cholesterol levels.
It can be hard to tell if you have high cholesterol because it doesn’t always come withsymptoms. Having high cholesterol levels can increase your risk ofheart attack, stroke, and other conditions.
In this article, we’ll discuss the causes and treatments for high cholesterol and how you can lower your risk of developing it.
What Is High Cholesterol?
Cholesterolis a fatty molecule that your cells need to function. Your liver makes it, but you can also get cholesterol from the foods you eat.
The term “high cholesterol” usually refers to low-density lipoprotein, or LDL (often called “bad cholesterol”).
High LDL levels increase your risk ofatherosclerosis, where deposits of cholesterol, calcium, and white blood cells produceplaquesin the walls of arteries.These plaques can reduce blood flow to vital organs like the heart and brain, and lead to serious complications like heart attack and stroke.
What is a Healthy Cholesterol Level By Age?
Why Is My Cholesterol High?
If you’re eating healthy, other factors may be impacting yourcholesterol levels.
Genetics
Even if you eat right and exercise, you can still have high cholesterol if you have inherited a genetic form of high cholesterol from your parents calledfamilial hypercholesterolemia. This condition can make it hard for your body to get rid of extra cholesterol.
While the liver makes cholesterol in your body, it also recycles and removes cholesterol from the body. When your liver isn’t working properly or when genetic mutations disrupt this process, too much cholesterol can build up in your body.Even though it cannot be prevented, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help keep the condition under control.
Is High Cholesterol Hereditary? What You Need to Know About Your Genetic Risk
Exercise
When you aren’t getting enough exercise, your body may not be making as much HDL as it needs to remove bad cholesterol from your body. Some studies have found that long periods of inactivity are associated with a significant increase in total and LDL cholesterol and a reduction in HDL cholesterol.
Getting plenty of exercise has a variety of health benefits and may help you maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Studies have found that exercise can help increase HDL (good) cholesterol and maintain or even offset increases in LDL (bad) cholesterol. More intense, regular exercise can even help reduce LDL cholesterol levels.
Age and Weight
Studies have also found a relationship between high cholesterol and obesity. People with obesity may have trouble metabolizing cholesterol. Obesity is associated with changes in the way people absorb, synthesize, and process cholesterol. Obesity also lowers HDL cholesterol, which can affect the body’s ability to remove excess LDL cholesterol.
Smoking
Smokingcan restrict blood flow through your vessels and make them stiff. On top of this, smoking can impair the function of “good” cholesterol, or HDL cholesterol, which helps break down bad cholesterol and balance out levels in your body. Studies have also found that quitting smoking can help restore HDL function.
Stress
Studies have also found that psychological stress may have some correlation with unhealthy cholesterol levels. A small 2020 study concluded that people who were under a lot of job stress were at increased risk of having unhealthy lipid profiles, especially those who were overcommitted and poorly compensated.
Sleep
People who have trouble sleeping or who regularly do not get enough sleep are at increased risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. A 2016 study found that sleep loss affects the expression of the genes responsible for transporting cholesterol and that people who say they don’t get enough sleep tend to have lower HDL levels.
Other Conditions
There are a number of conditions likehigh blood pressure, diabetes, and thyroid disorders that can contribute to high cholesterol. Talk to your healthcare provider about other conditions you have, the medications you take, and how they may affect your cholesterol levels.
False-High and False-Low Cholesterol Tests
Managing Cholesterol Levels
Lifestyle changes are one of the first things your healthcare provider will recommend for managing high cholesterol. All medications can causeside effects, including medications to lower your cholesterol, and many people can successfully lower their cholesterol without them. Your healthcare provider will determine which treatment approach is best for you.
Lifestyle Factors
Lifestyle changes that can help prevent high cholesterol or lower your cholesterol include:
It takes time to lower cholesterol, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t see results right away. Stick to your healthcare provider’s suggestions and make sure to see your healthcare provider as recommended for follow-up testing.
Medication
If these changes aren’t enough to lower your cholesterol to a safe range, your healthcare provider may prescribe medication. If this is part of your treatment plan, you still have to continue your healthy lifestyle changes.
Manymedicationscan help lower your cholesterol, including:
If you have familial hypercholesterolemia, you may not be able to prevent high cholesterol. You can work with your healthcare provider to detect it early and manage it to prevent complications.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
In most cases, your healthcare provider willdiagnose high cholesterolthrough routine screening. Alipid panelusually measures total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol.
Since people with high cholesterol don’t usually have symptoms, most healthcare providers recommend regular screening at certain ages or for people at higher risk. The current recommendations are as follows:
You should also see a healthcare provider if you develop symptoms of conditions that are related to high cholesterol, such as chest pain, a tight feeling in the chest, or high blood pressure.
If you’ve been diagnosed with high cholesterol and are having trouble maintaining a healthy diet, ask your healthcare provider about arranging a consultation with a nutritionist.
What Is a Lipid Panel?
Summary
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.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Facts about cholesterol.Mortensen MB, Nordestgaard BG.Elevated LDL cholesterol and increased risk of myocardial infarction and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in individuals aged 70-100 years: a contemporary primary prevention cohort.Lancet. 2020;396(10263):1644-1652. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32233-9Maki KC, Dicklin MR, Kirkpatrick CF.Saturated fats and cardiovascular health: Current evidence and controversies.J Clin Lipidol.2021;15(6):765-772. doi:10.1016/j.jacl.2021.09.049.Familial Hypercholesterolemia Foundation.Your liver and cholesterol.Perrone MA, Feola A, Pieri M, et al.The effects of reduced physical activity on the lipid profile in patients with high cardiovascular risk during COVID-19 lockdown.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(16):8858. doi:10.3390/ijerph18168858Mann S, Beedie C, Jimenez A.Differential effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined exercise modalities on cholesterol and the lipid profile: Review, synthesis and recommendations.Sports Med. 2014;44(2):211-21. doi:10.1007/s40279-013-0110-5Morgan AE, Mooney KM, Wilkinson SJ, Pickles NA, Mc Auley MT.Cholesterol metabolism: A review of how ageing disrupts the biological mechanisms responsible for its regulation.Ageing Res Rev. 2016;27:108-124. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2016.03.008Mc Auley MT.Effects of obesity on cholesterol metabolism and its implications for healthy ageing.Nutr Res Rev.2020;33(1):121-133. doi:10.1017/S0954422419000258Kawachi E, Takata K, Imaizumi S, Miura SI, Saku K.Effects of smoking cessation on HDL functionality.Tob Induc Dis. 2019;17(1). doi:10.18332/tid/111387Sonkar S, Kumar P.Determination of the effects of psychological stress on lipid profiles of patients.J Adv Med Dent Scie Res. 2020;8(9):217-20. doi:10.21276/jamdsrAho V, Ollila HM, Kronholm E, et al.Prolonged sleep restriction induces changes in pathways involved in cholesterol metabolism and inflammatory responses.Sci Rep. 2016;6:24828. doi:10.1038/srep24828American Heart Association.Prevention and treatment of high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia).National Institutes of Health: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What is blood cholesterol?American Heart Association.Cholesterol medications.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Blood cholesterol: Diagnosis.
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.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Facts about cholesterol.Mortensen MB, Nordestgaard BG.Elevated LDL cholesterol and increased risk of myocardial infarction and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in individuals aged 70-100 years: a contemporary primary prevention cohort.Lancet. 2020;396(10263):1644-1652. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32233-9Maki KC, Dicklin MR, Kirkpatrick CF.Saturated fats and cardiovascular health: Current evidence and controversies.J Clin Lipidol.2021;15(6):765-772. doi:10.1016/j.jacl.2021.09.049.Familial Hypercholesterolemia Foundation.Your liver and cholesterol.Perrone MA, Feola A, Pieri M, et al.The effects of reduced physical activity on the lipid profile in patients with high cardiovascular risk during COVID-19 lockdown.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(16):8858. doi:10.3390/ijerph18168858Mann S, Beedie C, Jimenez A.Differential effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined exercise modalities on cholesterol and the lipid profile: Review, synthesis and recommendations.Sports Med. 2014;44(2):211-21. doi:10.1007/s40279-013-0110-5Morgan AE, Mooney KM, Wilkinson SJ, Pickles NA, Mc Auley MT.Cholesterol metabolism: A review of how ageing disrupts the biological mechanisms responsible for its regulation.Ageing Res Rev. 2016;27:108-124. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2016.03.008Mc Auley MT.Effects of obesity on cholesterol metabolism and its implications for healthy ageing.Nutr Res Rev.2020;33(1):121-133. doi:10.1017/S0954422419000258Kawachi E, Takata K, Imaizumi S, Miura SI, Saku K.Effects of smoking cessation on HDL functionality.Tob Induc Dis. 2019;17(1). doi:10.18332/tid/111387Sonkar S, Kumar P.Determination of the effects of psychological stress on lipid profiles of patients.J Adv Med Dent Scie Res. 2020;8(9):217-20. doi:10.21276/jamdsrAho V, Ollila HM, Kronholm E, et al.Prolonged sleep restriction induces changes in pathways involved in cholesterol metabolism and inflammatory responses.Sci Rep. 2016;6:24828. doi:10.1038/srep24828American Heart Association.Prevention and treatment of high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia).National Institutes of Health: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What is blood cholesterol?American Heart Association.Cholesterol medications.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Blood cholesterol: Diagnosis.
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.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Facts about cholesterol.Mortensen MB, Nordestgaard BG.Elevated LDL cholesterol and increased risk of myocardial infarction and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in individuals aged 70-100 years: a contemporary primary prevention cohort.Lancet. 2020;396(10263):1644-1652. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32233-9Maki KC, Dicklin MR, Kirkpatrick CF.Saturated fats and cardiovascular health: Current evidence and controversies.J Clin Lipidol.2021;15(6):765-772. doi:10.1016/j.jacl.2021.09.049.Familial Hypercholesterolemia Foundation.Your liver and cholesterol.Perrone MA, Feola A, Pieri M, et al.The effects of reduced physical activity on the lipid profile in patients with high cardiovascular risk during COVID-19 lockdown.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(16):8858. doi:10.3390/ijerph18168858Mann S, Beedie C, Jimenez A.Differential effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined exercise modalities on cholesterol and the lipid profile: Review, synthesis and recommendations.Sports Med. 2014;44(2):211-21. doi:10.1007/s40279-013-0110-5Morgan AE, Mooney KM, Wilkinson SJ, Pickles NA, Mc Auley MT.Cholesterol metabolism: A review of how ageing disrupts the biological mechanisms responsible for its regulation.Ageing Res Rev. 2016;27:108-124. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2016.03.008Mc Auley MT.Effects of obesity on cholesterol metabolism and its implications for healthy ageing.Nutr Res Rev.2020;33(1):121-133. doi:10.1017/S0954422419000258Kawachi E, Takata K, Imaizumi S, Miura SI, Saku K.Effects of smoking cessation on HDL functionality.Tob Induc Dis. 2019;17(1). doi:10.18332/tid/111387Sonkar S, Kumar P.Determination of the effects of psychological stress on lipid profiles of patients.J Adv Med Dent Scie Res. 2020;8(9):217-20. doi:10.21276/jamdsrAho V, Ollila HM, Kronholm E, et al.Prolonged sleep restriction induces changes in pathways involved in cholesterol metabolism and inflammatory responses.Sci Rep. 2016;6:24828. doi:10.1038/srep24828American Heart Association.Prevention and treatment of high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia).National Institutes of Health: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What is blood cholesterol?American Heart Association.Cholesterol medications.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Blood cholesterol: Diagnosis.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Facts about cholesterol.
Mortensen MB, Nordestgaard BG.Elevated LDL cholesterol and increased risk of myocardial infarction and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in individuals aged 70-100 years: a contemporary primary prevention cohort.Lancet. 2020;396(10263):1644-1652. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32233-9
Maki KC, Dicklin MR, Kirkpatrick CF.Saturated fats and cardiovascular health: Current evidence and controversies.J Clin Lipidol.2021;15(6):765-772. doi:10.1016/j.jacl.2021.09.049.
Familial Hypercholesterolemia Foundation.Your liver and cholesterol.
Perrone MA, Feola A, Pieri M, et al.The effects of reduced physical activity on the lipid profile in patients with high cardiovascular risk during COVID-19 lockdown.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(16):8858. doi:10.3390/ijerph18168858
Mann S, Beedie C, Jimenez A.Differential effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined exercise modalities on cholesterol and the lipid profile: Review, synthesis and recommendations.Sports Med. 2014;44(2):211-21. doi:10.1007/s40279-013-0110-5
Morgan AE, Mooney KM, Wilkinson SJ, Pickles NA, Mc Auley MT.Cholesterol metabolism: A review of how ageing disrupts the biological mechanisms responsible for its regulation.Ageing Res Rev. 2016;27:108-124. doi:10.1016/j.arr.2016.03.008
Mc Auley MT.Effects of obesity on cholesterol metabolism and its implications for healthy ageing.Nutr Res Rev.2020;33(1):121-133. doi:10.1017/S0954422419000258
Kawachi E, Takata K, Imaizumi S, Miura SI, Saku K.Effects of smoking cessation on HDL functionality.Tob Induc Dis. 2019;17(1). doi:10.18332/tid/111387
Sonkar S, Kumar P.Determination of the effects of psychological stress on lipid profiles of patients.J Adv Med Dent Scie Res. 2020;8(9):217-20. doi:10.21276/jamdsr
Aho V, Ollila HM, Kronholm E, et al.Prolonged sleep restriction induces changes in pathways involved in cholesterol metabolism and inflammatory responses.Sci Rep. 2016;6:24828. doi:10.1038/srep24828
American Heart Association.Prevention and treatment of high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia).
National Institutes of Health: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What is blood cholesterol?
American Heart Association.Cholesterol medications.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Blood cholesterol: Diagnosis.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
