About one in six Americans has high cholesterol, which doubles their risk of developing heart disease, America's number one killer. The average American cholesterol level is 200 milligrams per deciliter, which borders on high risk. Ideally, that level should be lower than 200 mg/dL. Mexican American men and white women are likeliest to suffer from high cholesterol.
Identification
Cholesterol is necessary for your body. But if too much cholesterol is in your blood, this waxy substance builds up on your arterial walls. The arteries then get too narrow for the blood to efficiently pass through, leading to angina and heart attack. Since there are no symptoms, many people don't even know they have high cholesterol. A blood test is necessary to diagnose high cholesterol.
LDL
Most people have heard of good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. LDL, or low-density lipoproteins, is the bad kind. When people have high cholesterol, it's a matter of too much LDL. Lipoproteins are particles that carry cholesterol through the blood. LDL is the artery-clogging kind and accounts for most of the body's cholesterol. Lp(a), a lesser known genetic variation of LDL, may also contribute to arterial buildup.
HDL
In contrast, HDLs, or high-density lipoproteins, are beneficial. They carry cholesterol to the liver, where it's flushed from the body. Higher HDL levels reduce your risk for strokes and heart attacks. HDL accounts for between one-fourth and one-third of cholesterol in the blood.
Recommended Amounts
Your body makes some cholesterol. The rest comes from foods derived from animals. Meat, fish, poultry, dairy foods and egg yolks contain cholesterol. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people should consume less than 200 mg of cholesterol per day.
Saturated Fats and Trans Fat
Other types of fat consumption affect your LDL level. The CDC recommends getting no more than 35 percent of your total calories from fat, but these should be polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, not saturated and trans fats. Saturated fats are in meat, lard, butter, palm and palm kernel oil, coconut oil, egg yolks and many desserts. Trans fats are formed when a process called hydrogenation turns liquid fats into solid fats. As a general rule, fats that are solid at room temperature are best avoided.
Recommended Sources of Fat
Consuming most of your fat calories in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats is the healthiest route for your cholesterol level. Soybean, corn and safflower oils are all examples of healthy liquid vegetable oils. Walnuts, olives, flaxseed and oily fish like salmon and herring are also good sources of fat.
