Who Is at Risk for High Cholesterol?

In previous articles we have talked about the different types of cholesterol and what the cholesterol numbers mean to each of us. Now what we need to talk about who is at risk for health issues related to cholesterol. Over the years medical researchers have accumulated data that suggests that several groups of individuals are more prone than others to the effects of cholesterol.

one of those groups of people is those whose immediate family has a history of early heart problems. Early heart disease is defined as your father or brother having heart issues before the age of 55, or your mother or sister affected before the age of 65.

Another group with an increased risk factor is women who are post menopausal. At this point of life, the low density lipoproteins, or bad cholesterol, tends to increase without any other changes in life style. Women also have an increase risk factor once they reach the age of 65. Men who have reached the age of 55 have the same elevated risk factors that women have at 65 years of age.

Some research also suggests that those who are of African American ancestry will have an elevated cholesterol risk factor, regardless of age.

these risk factors are known as uncontrolled cholesterol risk factors. Falling into one of these categories does not automatically cause one to have an unhealthy cholesterol level. It just means that you are more predisposed to be affected by the problem.

there are also what is known as controlled risk factors. These we can alter by making healthier life style choices. Items that fall within this category are somewhat more obvious. They include your diet choices as well as your weight and the amount of physical activity you get on a regular basis. All of these factors are interlocked with each other.

A lot of foods that are consumed on a regular basis are very high in saturated fats. Saturated fats are a major contributor to a high LDL cholesterol level. Reducing the amount of saturated fat in our diets will help reduce our LDL levels within the body.

An increasing number of Americans are overweight. This is a problem that not only affects adults, but is rapidly becoming a health crisis for our youth. Simply reducing our weight through wise diet choices and increased physical activities will also help reduce our cholesterol numbers.

there is also some research that suggests that there is a fourth controller risk factor. That research states that those who smoke cigarettes on a regular basis have an increase probability of having cholesterol issues. The solution for this problem would appear to be easily identified, stop smoking.

so who is at risk? We all are. Some factors we cannot change, some we can. The prudent thing would be to work on those things we can change, like diet modification and increased exercise. Because making those changes will help to mitigate the effects of the uncontrolled risk factors for cholesterol.

Justin Lee recently discovered that like many other people, he has high cholesterol. Not knowing a lot about the subject, he began to research the types of cholesterol to learn more about it. He has created a website to share all of the knowledge he has gathered with his readers. For more information about cholesterol take a look at Justin's site. controllingyourcholesterol.com ControllingYourCholesterol.com