Causes of High Cholesterol

7 Causes of High Cholesterol

Beef, pork, veal, milk, eggs, butter, and cheese contain saturated fat. Packaged foods that contain coconut oil, palm oil, or cocoa butter may have a lot of saturated fat. You will also find saturated fat in stick margarine, vegetable shortening, and most cookies, crackers, chips, and other snacks. Being overweight may increase triglycerides and decrease HDL, or good cholesterol. Losing that gut can go a long way toward improving your beach bod, too. ack of physical activity may increase LDL, or bad cholesterol, and decrease HDL, or good cholesterol. Don't skip your annual physical, and be sure to have your doc explain your heart disease risk. Having certain diseases, such as diabetes or hypothyroidism, may cause high cholesterol. If family members have high cholesterol, you may also. Smoking can lower your good cholesterol. And it can kill you.

High cholesterol comes from a variety of sources, including your family history and what you eat. It may affect your heart and blood vessels and increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. High cholesterol causes fatty deposits (known as plaques) to build up inside your blood vessels. This can cause you to feel chest pain (angina). If a fatty plaque breaks off, it may cause a blood clot that can block blood flow to your heart (heart attack), or if the same process occurs in your brain it may cause a stroke.