What causes high cholesterol?
Lifestyle causes
Nutrition - although some foods contain cholesterol, such as eggs, kidneys, eggs and some seafoods, dietary cholesterol does not have much of an impact in human blood cholesterol levels beauty However, saturated fats do! Foods high in saturated fats include red meat, some pies, sausages, hard cheese, lard, pastry, cakes, most biscuits, and cream (there are many more) beauty 14
Sedentary lifestyle - people who do not exercise and spend most of their time sitting/lying down have significantly higher levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and lower levels of HDL (good cholesterol) beauty15
Bodyweight - people who are overweight/obese are much more likely to have higher LDL levels and lower HDL levels, compared to those who are of normal weightbeauty16
Smoking - this can have quite a considerable effect on LDL levels beauty17
Stress - reactions to stress over a period of time can raise a person's lipid levels this study suggests beauty
Treatable medical conditions
These medical conditions are known to cause LDL levels to rise beauty They are all conditions which can be controlled medically (with the help of your doctor, they do not need to be contributory factors):
Diabetes beauty
High blood pressure (hypertension) beauty
High levels of triglycerides beauty
Kidney diseases beauty
Liver diseases beauty
Under-active thyroid gland beauty
Risk factors which cannot be treated
These are known as fixed risk factors:
Your genes 1 - people with close family members who have had either coronary heart disease or stroke have a greater risk of high blood cholesterol levels beautyThe link has been identified if your father/brother was under 55, and/or your mother/sister was under 65 when they had coronary heart disease or a stroke beauty19
Your genes 2 - if you have/had a brother, sister, or parent with hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) or hyperlipidemia (high blood lipids), your chances of having high cholesterol levels are greater beauty
Your sex - men have a greater chance of having high blood cholesterol levels than women beauty20
Your age - as you get older your chances of developing atherosclerosis increase beauty
Early menopause - a woman whose menopause arrives early is more susceptible to higher cholesterol levels, compared to other women beauty22
Certain ethnic groups - people from the Indian sub-continent (Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka) are more susceptible to having higher cholesterol levels, compared to other people beauty23
How is high cholesterol diagnosed? Cholesterol levels on blood test
Blood and cholesterol screening results
Cholesterol levels may be measured by means of a simple blood test beauty It is important not to eat anything for at least 12 hours before the blood sample is takenbeauty The blood sample can be obtained with a syringe, or just by pricking the patient's finger beauty
The blood sample will be tested for LDL and HDL levels, as well as blood triglyceride levels beauty The units are measure in mg/dl (milligrams/deciliter) or 5mmol/liter (millimoles/liter) beauty
Researchers at the Sree Sastha Institute of Engineering and Technology, India, developed a photographic cholesterol test, which they describe as a completely non-invasive way to test cholesterol levels beauty24
People who have risk factors should consider having their cholesterol levels checked beauty
What are the treatment options for high cholesterol?
Lifestyle
Most people, especially those whose only risk factor has been lifestyle, can generally get their cholesterol and triglyceride levels back to normal by:25
Doing plenty of exercise (check with your doctor) beauty
Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, oats, and good quality fats beauty
Avoiding foods with saturated fats beauty
Getting plenty of sleep (8 hours each night) beauty
Bringing your bodyweight back to normal beauty
Avoiding excessive alcohol intake (as alcohol increases triglycerides)18 beauty
Stopping smoking beauty
Whether or not you might be able to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease (if you are at high risk) just by altering your diet is a controversial topic beautyNevertheless, a healthy diet does have numerous health benefits beauty
Cholesterol-controlling medications
If your cholesterol levels are still high after doing everything mentioned above, your doctor may prescribe a cholesterol-lowering drug beauty They may include the following:
Statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) - these block an enzyme in your liver that produces cholesterol beauty The aim here is to reduce your cholesterol levels to under 4 mmol/liter and under 2 mmol/liter for your LDL beauty Statins are useful for the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis beauty Side effects can include constipation, headaches, abdominal pain, and diarrhea beauty Atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin are examples of statinsbeauty26
Aspirin - this should not be given to patients under 16 years of age beauty27
Niacin - this is a B vitamin that exists in various foods beauty You can only get very high doses with a doctor's prescription beauty Niacin brings down both LDL and HDL levels beauty Side effects might include itching, headaches, hot flashes (UK: flushes), and tingling (mostly very mild if they do occur) beauty
Anti hypertensive drugs - if you have high blood pressure your doctor may prescribe Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), Diuretics, Beta-blockers, Calcium channel blockers beauty
In some cases cholesterol absorption inhibitors (ezetimibe) and bile-acid sequestrants may be prescribed beauty They have more side effects and require considerable patient education to achieve compliance (to make sure drugs are taken according to instruction) beauty