Top 7 Causes of High Cholesterol

Cholesterol can be found in your blood vessels and within your cells. Our livers already make most of the cholesterol in our bodies and the rest comes from what we eat. High cholesterol levels are associated with many health problems, especially heart problems. Here are the top 7 causes of high cholesterol to understand it better.

7. Eating Saturated Foods

Saturated fats found mostly in animal-based products such as cheese, milk, butter, and steak can elevate LDL, the bad cholesterol in your blood. Even some plant-based oils such as coconut oil are loaded with saturated fats. (1, 2, 3)

6. Eating Trans Fats

Trans fats are more dangerous than saturated fats since they don’t only elevate your LDL levels but also lower your HDL levels. Some of these fats are found in animal products but most of them are found in processed foods such as potato chips. (4, 5, 6)

5. Lack of Exercise

Exercises can reduce your cholesterol levels significantly. However, not moving enough can increase your LDL levels and reduce your HDL levels. Studies show that increasing physical activity is associated with boosting the cardiovascular system including lowering LDL and elevating HDL. (7, 8, 9)

4. Smoking

Smoking is one of the worst things that may happen to your health. It affects literally every part of your body including your heart, cardiovascular system, and cholesterol levels. Smoking is associated with damaging blood vessels by building up LDL within their walls in addition to causing severe inflammations within them. (10, 11)

3. Genetics

Most risk factors are hereditary. For example, if hypertension runs in your family, you will more likely be hypertensive too. The same thing happens to cholesterol. If your family suffers from high cholesterol levels, the risk of having high cholesterol level increases significantly. (12, 13, 14)

2. Medications

Certain medications such as diuretics are associated with increased cholesterol levels. Before taking any medications, you should inform your doctor about your high cholesterol. It is recommended to have a complete lipid profile if you going to take any medications. (15, 16, 17)

1. Certain Health Problems

Many health conditions are associated with high cholesterol levels such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism, metabolic syndrome, Cushing’s syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and kidney problems. You should be aware of your lipid profile if you have one of these conditions. (18, 19, 20,