Blood cholesterol and your heart

What is cholesterol and how does it affect your heart?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that your body uses to make hormones and vitamin D, as well as to build cells. Your body naturally produces cholesterol, and it’s also in some foods.

Your body needs cholesterol to function properly. If you have too much of it, you can develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels called plaque (also known as atherosclerosis). A build-up of plaque can make it difficult for blood to flow through the arteries.

If these deposits break apart, they can form clots that block blood flow and cause angina, or a heart attack or stroke. That’s why high cholesterol can put you at risk of heart disease.

Types of cholesterol

There are two common types of cholesterol.

• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is sometimes referred to as ‘bad’ cholesterol because it can stick to the walls of arteries and cause plaque.
• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is the healthy or ‘good’ cholesterol because it carries LDL cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver to be broken down and passed as waste.

What causes high cholesterol?

There is no single cause of high cholesterol. Instead, a range of different factors can increase your risk, including:

• age
• family history
• carrying excess body fat
• lack of physical activity
• unhealthy diet
• smoking
• drinking too much alcohol.

While you can’t control your age or your family history, there are things you can do to help manage your cholesterol. Be active every day, follow a a heart-healthy eating pattern, cut down on alcohol and quit if you smoke.

What are the symptoms of high cholesterol?

High cholesterol usually doesn’t have obvious symptoms. The only way to detect it is through blood tests and regular check-ups.

Tip: Your doctor will regularly check your cholesterol as part of your ongoing care for heart disease. Ask your doctor what your cholesterol levels should be and what you can do to reach them.