1. You might have heard lots of warnings about high cholesterol. Not all cholesterol Is bad, though. It’s mostly low-density lipoprotein (LDL), other non-HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides that cause the health problems; you need high-density lipoprotein (HDL) to be healthy.
2. High LDL basically means fat is blocking your bloodstream. You won’t have any symptoms – you won’t even know it’s happening without a blood test – but it can still have a serious impact on the rest of the body.
3. Serious and potentially life-threatening conditions that become an increased risk because of LDL include heart attacks and strokes. This is something you need to be aware of and try to avoid.
4. Leading causes of high LDL cholesterol include poor diet (too much fatty food), lack of exercise, too much drinking and too much smoking. These are all lifestyle factors, so you should be able to change them to reduce your risk.
5. You may also need to treat other conditions that can increase the risk of high cholesterol, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
6. Other factors are less controllable. You may have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol. You may be at increased risk because of your age, gender or ethnicity. If you’re in a high-risk group, you may need testing regularly.
7. If lifestyle changes aren’t working, you may need to try medication. Statins are the most common kind, and while they don’t have the best reputation when it comes to side effects, they can be very effective.
8. HDL is known as “good cholesterol” because it has the opposite effect of bad cholesterol. It removes LDL and triglycerides from your bloodstream, which is a valuable role. There’s no medication to increase HDL, but a healthy lifestyle when it comes to diet and exercise may improve your levels.
9. Not all blood tests to measure cholesterol will separate the HDL and non-HDL levels. You may need to ask the doctor or nurse to break it down for you so you have a better understanding of what your cholesterol levels mean for your overall health.
10. Lots of people suffer from high cholesterol. It’s not a judgment on your value as a person. Make a point of keeping an eye on it and trying to keep it down because it causes such a great risk to your overall health.
