What Makes Your Cholesterol Go Up?

There are many things in life that increase blood cholesterol levels, and they are not all dietary. Since there are no symptoms, you may never know that you have high cholesterol unless you get a check up or suffer from a cholesterol-related ailment.

Types

• There are three types of cholesterol: the bad kinds are low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL); the good cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

Identification

• Food (meat, processed), excess weight, stress, age and genetics can cause elevated cholesterol levels.

Effects

• When your cholesterol levels rise, it builds up as plaque on your artery walls, which will increase your chance of heart disease. Plaque build-up in the arteries can also block normal blood flow to the brain, which can cause a stroke.

Considerations

• Since genes and aging can increase your chance of elevated cholesterol levels, medications may be needed to counteract it.

Prevention/Solution

• You can bring your cholesterol levels down by losing excess weight, exercising, avoiding saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet, and finding ways to counter stress (meditation or other relaxation methods).