High Blood Cholesterol - MayoClinic.com Feature Focus

Cholesterol, which is found in every cell of the body, is used to build healthy cells, as well as some vital hormones. An individual who has high blood cholesterol may develop fatty deposits in the blood vessels. Eventually, these deposits can clog arteries and reduce flow. As a result, the heart may not get enough oxygen-rich blood, increasing the risk of a heart attack. Decreased blood flow to the brain can cause a stroke.

Cholesterol, which is found in every cell of the body, is used to build healthy cells, as well as some vital hormones. An individual who has high blood cholesterol may develop fatty deposits in the blood vessels. Eventually, these deposits can clog arteries and reduce blood flow. As a result, the heart may not get enough oxygen-rich blood, increasing the risk of a heart attack. Decreased blood flow to the brain can cause a stroke.

High blood cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) is largely preventable and treatable. A healthy diet, regular exercise and, sometimes, medication can help lower high blood cholesterol.

A feature on Mayoclinic.com highlights treatment options for high blood cholesterol. Lifestyle choices such as regular exercise and eating right are essential. Medication is another factor for controlling high blood cholesterol. Using one medication or a combination depends on an individual's risk factors, age, current health and possible side effects.

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Cholesterol Definition

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found among the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and in all your body's cells. It's an important part of a healthy body because it's used to form cell membranes, some hormones and is needed for other functions. But a high level of cholesterol in the blood — hypercholesterolemia — is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack.

Cholesterol and other fats can't dissolve in the blood. They have to be transported to and from the cells by special carriers called lipoproteins. There are several kinds, but the ones to focus on are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

What is LDL cholesterol?

Low-density lipoprotein is the major cholesterol carrier in the blood. If too much LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the walls of the arteries feeding the heart and brain. Together with other substances it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can clog those arteries. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. A clot (thrombus) that forms near this plaque can block the blood flow to part of the heart muscle and cause a heart attack. If a clot blocks the blood flow to part of the brain, a stroke results. A high level of LDL cholesterol (160 mg/dL and above) reflects an increased risk of heart disease. If you have heart disease, your LDL cholesterol should be less than 100 mg/dL and your doctor may even set your goal to be less than 70 mg/dL.

What is HDL cholesterol?

About one-third to one-fourth of blood cholesterol is carried by HDL. Medical experts think HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it's passed from the body. Some experts believe HDL removes excess cholesterol from plaques and thus slows their growth. HDL cholesterol is known as "good" cholesterol because a high HDL level seems to protect against heart attack. The opposite is also true: a low HDL level (less than 40 mg/dL in men; less than 50 mg/dL in women) indicates a greater risk. A low HDL cholesterol level also may raise stroke risk.

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Cholesterol Causes

What you eat. Eating too much saturated fat can cause high cholesterol. You will find this unhealthy fat in foods that come from animals. 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.

• Your weight. Being overweight may increase triglycerides and decrease HDL

• Your activity level. Lack of physical activity, which may increase LDL and decrease HDL.

• Your age and gender. After you reach age 20, your cholesterol levels naturally begin to rise. In men, cholesterol levels generally level off after age 50. In women, cholesterol levels stay fairly low until menopause, after which they rise to about the same level as in men.

• Your overall health. Having certain diseases, such as diabetes or hypothyroidism, may cause high cholesterol.

• Your family history. If family members have high cholesterol, you may also.

• Cigarette smoking. Smoking can lower your good cholesterol.

In rare cases, high cholesterol is caused by an inherited problem called a lipid disorder that changes the way the body handles cholesterol. People with lipid disorders may have total cholesterol levels well over 250 milligrams per deciliter. Certain types of inherited lipid disorders may be more difficult to treat.

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Cholesterol Treatment

Treatment of high cholesterol is aimed at lowering the low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or "bad cholesterol," lowering triglyceride levels, and increasing the high-density lipoproteins (HDL) or "good cholesterol." Decreasing total cholesterol by 10% can result in a 30% reduction in coronary heart disease incidence. For every 1% decrease in LDL (bad cholesterol levels), heart disease rates drop 2%. On the other hand, for every 1% decrease in HDL, there is a 2 to 3% increase in the risk of heart disease.

A low fat/low cholesterol diet and exercise are essential in helping to lower cholesterol and to maintain low cholesterol levels. While drug therapy is often needed to lower cholesterol, diet and exercise are additionally recommended to help the drug therapy lower and control cholesterol levels. Patients with established cardiac disease and multiple risk factors (metabolic syndrome, diabetes, or smoking) are sometimes given more intense lifestyle changes. To learn more about diet and exercise, click on the "Helping Yourself" section above.

The decision to start a patient with dietary therapy or drug therapy is usually based on a patient's LDL cholesterol levels, presence of heart disease, and risk factors. Your doctor should calculate your "10-year risk" (also known as a ?Framingham Risk?) for developing heart disease and use that risk estimation to decide if and when to start cholesterol-lowering therapy either through dietary modifications or medications.

Lipitor, A great Treatment

Lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering medication that blocks the production of cholesterol (a type of fat) in the body. Lipitor reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and total cholesterol in the blood. Lowering your cholesterol can help prevent heart disease and hardening of the arteries, conditions that can lead to heart attack, stroke, and vascular disease. Lipitor is used to treat high cholesterol. Lipitor is also used to lower the risk of stroke, heart attack, or other heart complications in people with coronary heart disease or type 2 diabetes

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