Causes of high cholesterol

Elevated cholesterol levels can be common among family members. An unhealthy diet can also cause elevated cholesterol levels. Factors affecting blood cholesterol levels:

• What you eat. Excessive use of saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol can cause an increase in blood cholesterol. Saturated fats and cholesterol are found in animal products such as meat, whole milk, egg yolks and cheese. Trans fats are found in fried foods and packaged foods such as crisps, crackers and biscuits.

• Your weight. Being overweight contributes to higher triglyceride levels and lower HDL levels.

- Physical activity level. A sedentary lifestyle can increase LDL levels and decrease HDL levels.

• Your age and gender. When you turn 20, your cholesterol levels start to rise. In men, cholesterol levels usually jump after age 50. In women, cholesterol stays fairly low until menopause, and after menopause it reaches about the same level as in men.

• Certain diseases. The presence of certain diseases can cause cholesterol levels to rise. These can be diseases such as diabetes, metabolic disorders, hypothyroidism, kidney disease or cirrhosis.

- Family history. If members of your family have or have had high cholesterol, this can be passed on to you as well.

• Cigarette smoking. Smoking can lower good cholesterol levels.

- Certain medicines. Certain medications can raise triglyceride levels and lower HDL levels. These are drugs such as thiazide-like diuretics, beta-blockers, estrogen and corticosteroids.

- In rare cases, high cholesterol can be caused by a rare inherited disease called fat metabolism disorder, which disrupts the body's control of cholesterol levels. People with this disorder may have cholesterol levels above 14 mmol/L. Some types of fat metabolism disorder are difficult to treat.

We remind you that you can check your cholesterol level in any treatment room of the OLYMP СDL branches