What Are the Risk Factors for Developing High Cholesterol?

Diet - A diet that is high in saturated fat, trans fats, and cholesterol can make your blood cholesterol levels go up. Conversely, reducing saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet helps lower blood cholesterol levels.

Weight - Being overweight can increase your blood cholesterol levels and increase your risk for heart disease. The good news is that losing weight can lower your total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, and it can also increase your HDL cholesterol levels.

Physical Activity - Being physically inactive is a risk factor for heart disease. Regular exercise can help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol levels.

Age and Gender - As people get older, their cholesterol levels rise. Before menopause, women have lower total cholesterol levels than men of the same age. After menopause, women's LDL levels tend to rise.

Heredity - Your genetic background, at least in part, determines how much cholesterol your body makes.

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