High Cholesterol

What It Means

Anyone can develop high blood cholesterol regardless of age, sex, race or ethnic background. Like high blood pressure, it is a potential threat to your health that you can do something about. High cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for coronary heart disease and being overweight also contributes significantly to this problem. High blood cholesterol occurs when there is to much cholesterol in your blood. Your cholesterol level is determined partly by your genetic makeup and the saturated fat and cholesterol in the foods you eat. Even if you did not eat any cholesterol, your body would manufacture enough for its needs.

How high does your cholesterol level have to be to affect your health?

The risk of developing coronary heart disease increases as your blood cholesterol rises. This is why it is so important that you have your cholesterol level measured. Currently, more than half of all adult Americans have cholesterol levels of 200 mg/dl or greater, which places them at an increasing risk for coronary heart disease. A very large percentage of the adult population 20 years of age or older has blood cholesterol levels that are considered high, that is, 240 mg/dl or greater. A blood cholesterol level of 240 mg/dl or greater is considered high. But any level above 200 mg/dl, even in the "borderline-high" category increases your risk for heart disease. If your blood cholesterol is 240 mg/dl or greater, you have more than twice the risk of someone whose cholesterol is 200 mg/dl.