High cholesterol levels (hyperlipidaemia) can increase your risk of several serious health conditions, including heart attack and stroke.
Cholesterol is a fatty substance in your blood that helps to build and maintain healthy cells. It combines with proteins to form lipoproteins, which carry the cholesterol around your body in your blood. There are two main types of lipoproteins:
As cholesterol levels increase, fatty LDL cholesterol builds up in your arteries, increasing your risk of serious heart or circulation problems and stroke.
Men are more likely to have high cholesterol, although going through menopause early increases the risk for women.
High cholesterol is usually caused by:
High cholesterol can also run in families.
High cholesterol is usually symptomless but can be diagnosed with a cholesterol test, which is a blood test.
Your GP may recommend you have a cholesterol test if they think you are at risk of having high cholesterol levels. Risk factors include your age, other medical conditions and weight.
Once spotted, high cholesterol levels can be lowered by making simple lifestyle changes and/or taking medication.
You can book an appointment with a Spire private GP today.
If you have a condition that is affected by or raises cholesterol levels, your GP will regularly test your cholesterol.
If you’re over the age of 40 or concerned about your cholesterol levels, ask your GP about cholesterol testing.
Your GP will discuss your lifestyle, family history and general health, including any heart or circulatory problems. If needed, your GP will arrange for you to have a cholesterol test to check your cholesterol levels.
This test involves taking a small sample of your blood. This can be done in two ways:
In either case, for an accurate result, you can’t eat for up to 12 hours before your cholesterol test. The results of your test may also suggest your risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years.
Your cholesterol test may measure:
When your doctor gives you your results, they may only tell you your total cholesterol but you may be able to get the results for your LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels.
The best way to know what cholesterol levels you should aim for is to speak to your doctor or nurse, as these levels may be different from the guidelines below:
The general rule is that the higher your LDL levels, the greater the risk to your health. Measuring only total cholesterol can therefore be misleading as it may be high due to high HDL (good cholesterol) levels, which is good for your health.
Your LDL levels are only one factor in assessing your overall cardiovascular health risk and should be considered alongside your HDL levels and other health risk factors.
There are many different reasons for high cholesterol levels.
Your lifestyle plays a major part in your cholesterol levels being too high. Factors include:
Other risk factors that you cannot change (fixed risk factors) include:
If you have a fixed risk factor, you may want to put more effort into minimising the effects of your lifestyle risk factors.
There are also several conditions that can raise your cholesterol levels, including:
High cholesterol increases your risk of cardiovascular disease. However, even if your risk is low, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle to keep your risk of cardiovascular disease low.
High cholesterol can be successfully treated. Your GP will tell you how to lower your cholesterol by changing your lifestyle, including following a healthy, balanced, low cholesterol diet.
A low cholesterol diet involves eating more:
A low cholesterol diet also involves eating less:
Other lifestyle changes that can help lower high cholesterol levels include:
If lifestyle changes fail to lower your cholesterol levels, or you're at a high risk of having a heart attack or stroke, your GP may prescribe cholesterol-lowering medication called statins. Statins reduce your body's production of cholesterol and are taken as tablets once a day, usually for the rest of your life.
Alternatively, your GP may recommend:
If you need to lose a lot of weight, your GP may consider whether obesity surgery, such as a gastric bypass, might help.
What can cause high cholesterol?
High cholesterol is usually caused by:
Being overweight
Eating too much fatty food
Drinking too much alcohol
Not exercising enough
Smoking
High cholesterol can also run in families. Other risk factors include age, being male, and belonging to certain ethnic groups, including Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Lankan.
How can I reduce high cholesterol?
You can reduce your high cholesterol by:
Eating a healthy balanced diet — this means a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vegetables, fruits and fibre, and low in saturated fats commonly found in biscuits, butter, cakes, cream, ghee, hard cheese, lard, meat pies, sausages, and foods containing coconut or palm oil
Losing any excess weight and/or maintaining a healthy weight
Stopping smoking and keeping to the recommended limits for alcohol
Taking regular exercise, ideally 30 minutes every day
What is considered high cholesterol?
High cholesterol is considered to be a total cholesterol level higher than five. However, total cholesterol levels can be misleading as they include both good and bad cholesterols. Bad cholesterols increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and having a heart attack or stroke. High bad cholesterol levels are considered to be LDL levels higher than three, non-HDL levels higher than four and triglycerides higher than 2.3.
What are the symptoms of cholesterol problems?
High cholesterol is usually symptomless but leads to events such as a heart attack or stroke. If you're at risk of having high cholesterol, eg due to your age, being overweight or other medical conditions, it is important to get a cholesterol test to find out your cholesterol levels. You can then make the necessary lifestyle changes and/or take medication recommended by your doctor.
Does walking lower cholesterol?
Taking regular exercise — at least 30 minutes every day — can help lower your cholesterol. This includes walking, however, you need to walk fast enough to feel your heart beating faster.
Why is my cholesterol high if I eat healthily?
There are many factors that contribute to high cholesterol. This means that even if you eat a healthy diet, you may still have high cholesterol due to:
Being overweight
Drinking too much alcohol
Not doing enough exercise
Smoking
You are also at greater risk of developing high cholesterol as you get older and if you:
Are male
Are of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Lankan descent
Have a family history of heart disease, stroke or high cholesterol
If lifestyle changes fail to lower your cholesterol levels, or you're at a high risk of having a heart attack or stroke, your GP may prescribe medication to reduce your cholesterol levels.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-cholesterol/
https://www.healthline.com/health/high-cholesterol-symptoms
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-cholesterol/cholesterol-levels/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-cholesterol/getting-tested/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-cholesterol/how-to-lower-your-cholesterol/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-cholesterol/medicines-for-high-cholesterol/
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/high-cholesterol