1. Your Parents Did It
You may get high cholesterol or the tendency to develop high blood cholesterol from your parents or due to genetics. This type of high cholesterol is very dangerous, because it causes very high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), known as bad cholesterol, and may cause you to have a heart attack at a very early age. There are no symptoms of high cholesterol, so be aware if your parents or other family members have high cholesterol. It's a good idea to get regular cholesterol screenings.
2. High Weight Can Mean High LDLs
If you are overweight, you may not have high cholesterol. The two don't always go hand-in-hand, but being overweight can lead to high LDL levels and lowers your high density lipoprotein level (HDL), known as good cholesterol. Exercise regularly to lower LDLs, raise HDLs and lose weight.
3. Fat in Food, Fat in Your Blood
Fat tastes good--like eggs, cheese and steak--but these foods may also raise your LDL levels. These foods contain saturated fat which raises your LDLs more than any other type of food. If you listen to the news, you have heard about trans fats. You transform vegetable oil into trans fats or hydrogenated fats when you add hydrogen to them. Many processed foods contain hydrogenated oil like packaged cookies, crackers and chips. Trans fats raise your LDL cholesterol level, so severely limit them in your diet.
4. Gender and Age Affect Cholesterol
After 20, your cholesterol levels naturally rise. Be aware if you are a woman that you are more likely to develop higher cholesterol after menopause, so screening is especially important after you reach 50. Men and women's cholesterol levels rise until about 60 to 65 years old, so keep track of your levels and get a blood cholesterol screening every year.
5. Booze Is Not the Answer
Yes, we've all heard that drinking alcohol increases HDL, or good cholesterol, but it doesn't lower heart disease risks, so the jury is still out on whether a drink a day is in order. If you drink too much you damage your liver and heart and raise your blood pressure, and both of these things raise your LDLs. In view of this, it might be best not to use alcohol for prevention for heart disease.
