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so you have high blood cholesterol

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

A high blood cholesterol level means that you have more cholesterol in your bloodstream than your body needs. The higher your blood cholesterol level, the greater your risk or chance of developing coronary heart disease, the most common form of heart disease. Anyone can develop high blood cholesterol, no matter what his or her age, gender, race, or ethnic background. In fact, 52 million American adults now have a blood cholesterol level high enough to need medical advice to help lower it. High blood cholesterol has no warning signs. So, you may be surprised to learn that you have it. Don't be alarmed, but do take it seriously. You can lower high blood cholesterol and bring down your risk of heart disease.

This center can help. The first section, High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need To Know, will give you facts about cholesterol and heart disease. It will help you understand what your blood cholesterol levels mean. It also will explain heart diseases other risk factors and explain how these risk factors combine with high blood cholesterol to put you at even greater risk.

The second section, Improving Your Blood Cholesterol Levels: What You Need To Do, will show you how to change your diet, become more physically active, and lose weight (if you are overweight). These steps are the best way for most people to lower their high blood cholesterol. This section also will tell you about an added step some people need: taking medicines.

At the end of the article, you will find two other useful resources:

• Where You Can Go for Help, a list of people and organizations that can give you more information and support; and
• A glossary, which explains key medical and technical terms talking about high blood cholesterol.

Lowering your high blood cholesterol is very important: If you already have heart disease, you can reduce your risk of future problems; if you don't have heart disease, you can cut your risk of ever developing it.

The advice in this center is for adults. The article is part of a series on cholesterol from the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP). The NCEP also has booklets for both children and adolescents with high blood cholesterol and their parents.

September 2001
Posted February 2002

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