High Cholesterol
What Increases Your Risk
Some things that increase your risk for high cholesterol are things you can change, but some are not. It's important to lower your risk as much as possible.
Things you can change include:
- Eating foods high in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol.
- Being overweight.
- Not being active every day.
- Smoking.
Each of these things can raise your LDL, lower your HDL, or both.
Things you cannot change include:
- Reference Family history Opens New Window. If high cholesterol runs in your family, you may have it, and it may be harder to treat.
- Age and gender.
For more information, see Reference Cause.
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