High Cholesterol

High Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance produced by your liver that requires lipoproteins to travel through blood. The two major forms of lipoproteins are low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL), also known as “bad” and “good” cholesterol. If your blood contains too much LDL, you are considered to have high cholesterol. If left untreated, high cholesterol can lead to heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

What Causes High Cholesterol?

High cholesterol is usually the result of diet. In particular, consuming a diet that is high in:

• Cholesterol: meats, cheeses
• Saturated fat: meats, dairy products, chocolate, deep-fried foods, processed foods 
• Trans fat: fried and processed foods 

There are also numerous conditions that may place you at a greater risk for developing high cholesterol, including:

• Being overweight or obese
• Diabetes
• Liver or kidney disease
• Hypothyroidism
• Pregnancy

High cholesterol is one of the leading risk factors for developing heart disease. The team at Advanced Heart and Vein Center is committed to helping you lower your cholesterol and decrease your risk factors for coronary artery disease, stroke, and other serious health problems. Schedule your appointment so that we can evaluate and treat your high cholesterol.

If you have a statin intolerance (not tolerating cholesterol medications) we have new medications that may help.