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. 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).
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).
Bodyweight -
people who are overweight/obese are much more likely to have higher LDL levels
and lower HDL levels, compared to people who are of normal weight.
Smoking - this can
have quite a considerable effect on LDL levels.
Alcohol - people
who consume too much alcohol regularly, generally have much higher levels of
LDL and much lower levels of HDL, compared to people who abstain or those who
drink in moderation.
Treatable medical conditions
These medical conditions are known to cause LDL levels to
rise. They are all conditions which can be controlled medically (with the help
of your doctor, they do not need to be contributory factors):
Diabetes
High blood
pressure (hypertension)
High levels of
triglycerides
Kidney diseases
Liver diseases
Under-active
thyroid gland
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 a coronary heart disease
or a stroke, have a greater risk of high blood cholesterol levels. The 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.
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.
Your sex - men
have a greater chance of having high blood cholesterol levels than women.
Your age - as you
get older your chances of developing atherosclerosis increase.
Early menopause -
women whose menopause occurs early are more susceptible to higher cholesterol
levels, compared to other women.
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.