Eating foods that have a lot of cholesterol is not the only way to get high cholesterol. Many things increase the chances of a buildup of cholesterol in your blood. Some of these are things you cannot change. These are called uncontrollable risk factors. They include:
- Age. Your chances of
getting high cholesterol go up as you get older. Blood cholesterol levels
naturally begin to rise after age 20. This rise is probably a result of the
body not being able to get rid of extra cholesterol as well as it did when you were younger.
- Gender. In general, men tend to get
high cholesterol at a younger age than women. Before
menopause, women have lower total blood cholesterol
levels and higher HDL ("good") cholesterol levels than men, making them less
likely to have
coronary artery disease (CAD). After menopause,
women's LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels increase substantially because
of changes in hormones. In men,
cholesterol generally levels
off after age 50. In women,
it
stays fairly low until menopause.
Then it rises
to about the same level as in men.
- Heredity. High cholesterol can run in families. For this reason, it is
important for people who have a family history of high cholesterol or CAD to
have their cholesterol levels checked regularly.
Whether or not you have a family history of high
cholesterol or any other uncontrollable risk factors, the best way to prevent
high cholesterol is to make healthy lifestyle changes and get treatment for related
conditions like
diabetes and high blood pressure.
| By | Healthwise Staff |
|---|
| Primary Medical Reviewer | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine |
|---|
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Carl Orringer, MD - Cardiology, Clinical Lipidology |
|---|
| Last Revised | July 2, 2010 |
|---|