Medical personnel recommend keeping cholesterol levels below certain limits, and with good reason. High cholesterol levels, particularly high low-density lipoprotein -- often called "bad" cholesterol -- can increase your risk of heart disease as...
Cholesterol serves a valuable purpose in your body, despite its generally negative connotation. A waxy substance carried through the blood on lipoproteins such as low-density lipoproteins and high-density lipoproteins, cholesterol comes both from...
High cholesterol is one of many consequences of obesity. Obesity is defined as having too much body fat, usually caused by excessive calorie consumption. Eating high-fat foods increases the level of cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream. The...
Heart disease, heart attack and stroke can all occur as a result of high cholesterol, which has no symptoms. The medical conditions that high cholesterol can cause do have signs and symptoms -- numbness and tingling may indicate a stroke....
A cursory read of some alternative medicine publications might leave the false impression that low cholesterol causes leukemia. These publications all point to the same source, but a close reading of the original research study reveals that the...
More than one million people suffer from heart attacks every year in the United States. High cholesterol is one factor than can increase your chances of having a heart attack, but high cholesterol does not cause a heart attack on its own. Your...
Cholesterol is a thick, wax-like material that your body produces naturally in the liver. Your body's cells need cholesterol to function, but too much cholesterol can be a bad thing when it builds up in the blood. Your body only needs the...
High cholesterol is a condition characterized by an elevated amount of cholesterol in your bloodstream. As cholesterol levels rise to upward of 240 milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood (mg/dL), fatty deposits are more likely to...
Low cholesterol is usually considered healthy, but that isn't always the case. Your body produces more than one type of cholesterol -- low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein. Although your LDL cholesterol is the primary culprit...
In general, too much cholesterol in the bloodstream can raise the risk of heart disease. However, the body needs some cholesterol to function normally and not all not all types of cholesterol are bad, in fact, having a high level of some types...
Plaque is the excessive amount of fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances circulating in your blood that can stick to the inner walls of your arteries. An artery can become damaged, then narrower and narrower and eventually blocked by the...
Hair loss and high cholesterol are two developments commonly associated with aging. And while it is less common for these conditions to be linked, there could be some connections. While you shouldn't be concerned that one could lead to the other,...
High blood cholesterol is best known for its effects on your heart in the form of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. It can, however, cause leg pain as well when the arteries in your legs suffer from restricted blood flow; this condition is...
Your cornea is the clear tissue dome that covers the front surface of your eye. The iris is the colored part of your eye, a muscle that dilates and contracts to control the amount of light entering your eye. Some people have a blue-white circle,...
Bumps or lesions on the lower or upper eyelid may result from a number of conditions. One type of bump, called a xanthelasma, may occur in people with high cholesterol levels. However, these lesions may also appear in people who do not have...
More than 60 years of data collection and scientific research have revealed that a high serum cholesterol level, also known as hypercholesterolemia, increases your risk for cardiovascular disease. The Framingham Heart Study, initiated in 1948 and...
Your lifestyle may cause you to have high cholesterol. Bad cholesterol affects more than 102 million American adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High levels of cholesterol in your blood may cause any one of...
No single factor determines your total cholesterol levels. Your age, genetics and medical condition play roles, as do the amount of sugar and alcohol you consume and exercise habits you practice. In terms of diet, the amount and type of fat it...
In 1961, when scientists at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute first determined that high blood cholesterol levels were linked to heart disease, they launched a decades-long quest for other factors that could increase your risk for...
As of 2011, the prevalence of statin use has climbed considerably. From 1988 to 1994, only 2 percent of Americans were prescribed statins. That number increased to 25 percent of Americans from 2005 to 2008. With the rate of use on the rise,...
High cholesterol can be dangerous because it increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. Cholesterol is made naturally by your body; you also get cholesterol from foods such as meat, eggs and dairy products. According to eHealthMD, you should...
High cholesterol places you at risk for a number of health complications, such as hardened arteries, heart attack and stroke. This condition is preventable and treatable. You should be able to recognize the causes, and it's necessary to receive a...
Cholesterol is an essential compound in the body. But in excess, it can prove detrimental to a person's health. "Good" cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein, and "bad" cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein, differ in chemical structure,...
Cholesterol serves important roles in the body but high levels in the blood stream are directly associated with an increased chance of heart attack or stroke. Cholesterol is carried through the blood in little "packages" called lipoproteins, where...
When we speak of a spike in cholesterol, we are talking about harmful cholesterol. Harmful levels of bad cholesterol, otherwise known as low-density lipoprotein or LDL, can lead to cardiovascular ailments such as heart disease, high blood...
No, carrots will not cause cholesterol problems. Your cholesterol profile includes three types of lipids: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, also called LDL or “bad” cholesterol; high-density lipoproteins, sometimes called HDL or...
Your cholesterol score consists of two numbers--your LDL, or "bad" cholesterol level and your HDL, or "good" cholesterol level. An LDL score over 100 mg/dL increases your risk for heart attack, stroke and heart disease, according to the American...
A stroke is analogous to a heart attack, and can be called a brain attack. In a heart attack and stroke, the blood supply is cut off, the downstream tissues are deprived of oxygen and nutrients, and they can rapidly die. Atherosclerosis, or the...
Take control of cholesterol. Learn the facts about cholesterol and tips for lowering cholesterol count in this video.
Smoking can cause blood clots, which over time can induce a stroke. Learn some tips for preventing and treating strokes in this medical video.
Cardiomyopathy refers to deteriorating in the function of the heart muscle itself, which can lead to further medical difficulties. Learn more about cardiomyopathy, including symptoms and treatment options in this video.
Help prevent coronary artery disease with the right foods. Learn how to adjust your diet to fit your specific health and nutrition needs in this video on grocery shopping.
