Our bodies naturally produce all of the LDL, or “bad cholesterol,” that we need. Certain habits, such as unhealthy eating or having a sedentary lifestyle can cause our bodies to produce extra LDL which can lead to high cholesterol. This can also be caused by inherited genes.

If high cholesterol runs in your family, then you may be at risk for family hypercholesterolemia (FH), this occurs when you inherit the genes for high levels of LDL from your parents or grandparents. If you have FH or other issues related to high cholesterol in your family, you should probably ask your doctor for a regular lipid panel.

Aside from family history, there are other factors that can contribute to high cholesterol.

Here are some of the most common issues that can lead to having too much LDL.

• Being overweight or obese
• Eating unhealthy foods
• Not exercising 
• Smoking tobacco
• Having Diabetes, kidney disease, or hypothyroidism

It is generally agreed that diet is an important factor of cholesterol.

If you are hoping to maintain healthy cholesterol levels then you may want to consider following a low cholesterol diet by eliminating or at least reducing your intake of high cholesterol foods, including red meat, processed foods, fried foods, baked goods, and trans fats.

It is important to remember that the symptoms of high cholesterol often do not show up until a heart attack or stroke occurs. For this reason, it is a good idea to ask your doctor about testing your cholesterol levels.

Find out what you can do to treat high cholesterol.