High cholesterol is a fatty substance that can lead to the narrowing of arteries and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. With a few healthy lifestyle changes, you could help prevent high cholesterol and even reduce your cholesterol levels if they’re already high. We’ll take you through every aspect of the condition, from what it is, to the different types of cholesterol, the symptoms, signs, and cholesterol FAQs. We’ll also cover how high cholesterol is diagnosed and what you can do to help gain control of your diagnosis.

If you have high cholesterol, share your health story with us at Carecircle and let others know how you manage your condition. Together, we can build a better tomorrow.

What is High Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a type of lipid – a fatty substance our body’s cells use. It’s produced by our liver and it’s also found in foods that come from animals. We actually need cholesterol to stay healthy.

However, when there’s too much cholesterol in the blood, this leads to high cholesterol – which can form fatty deposits in our blood vessels. Over time, these deposits can make it harder for blood to travel through the arteries, leading to an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Types of Cholesterol

There are two main types of cholesterol: one we call good – High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL). And one we call bad – Non-High-Density Lipoproteins (Non-HDL). Lipoproteins are what’s formed when cholesterol combines with proteins in our blood.

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) is called good cholesterol because:

• It helps remove bad cholesterol from your blood
• It takes excess cholesterol back to your liver, which breaks the cholesterol down allowing it to be passed out of your body

Non-high-density lipoproteins (non-HDL) is called bad cholesterol because:

• It can lead to plaque build-up in your blood vessels
• It can clog-up and narrow your arteries
• It can increase your risk of other health conditions, such as a heart attack or stroke

Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL) is also a bad type of cholesterol. You may have heard of this term before as it used to be a main focus of clinicians in measuring bad cholesterol. Today, this term falls under the umbrella of non-high-density lipoproteins, as other types of non-HDL cholesterol can be potentially harmful as well.

Cholesterol Levels by age

Healthy cholesterol levels depend on your age and sex. Speak to your doctor to find out what your cholesterol levels should be. You can also use our table below as a basic guideline too.

Age and Sex	HDL (good) Cholesterol	Non-HDL (bad) Cholesterol	Total Cholesterol
Children and Teenagers	More than 45mg/dl	Less than 120mg/dl	Less than 170mg/dl
Men aged 20 and over	More than 40mg/dl	Less than 130mg/dl	125-200mg/dl
Women aged 20 and over	More than 50mg/dl	Less than 130mg/dl	125-200mg/dl

What are the symptoms of High Cholesterol?

Typically, high cholesterol doesn’t have any symptoms. To find out if you have high cholesterol, you have to take a simple blood test. You should aim to take this blood test after you turn 20 years of age and then have following tests throughout your lifetime every 4 to 6 years. If you have health complications or a family history of high cholesterol, you may want to take this blood test earlier in life and more regularly.

Whilst high cholesterol doesn’t usually have any symptoms, there are some warning signs to look out for. These include:

• High blood pressure
• Painless, soft, yellowy growths on the skin of your body (xanthomas)
• Chest pain (angina)
• Difficulty achieving an erection

Signs of high cholesterol on face

Sometimes, you can also see warning signs of high cholesterol on the face too, in the form of yellowish or orangish lumps or growths (xanthelasma). These painless deposits are often found near the corners of the eyes or on the upper or lower eyelids. If you have signs of xanthelasma visit your clinician to get a professional diagnosis and treatment.

Join Carecircle for free and find help, hope, and control with your high cholesterol diagnosis. Our global network for health makes you part of a worldwide community where your voice matters. Together, we can work toward a better future.

What causes High Cholesterol?

High cholesterol is caused by lots of different things – some you can control, others you can’t. The main causes and risk factors include:

• Smoking
• Poor diet, particularly eating too much saturated fat
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Being overweight
• Lack of regular exercise
• Getting older
• An underactive thyroid gland
• Having diabetes
• Liver disease or kidney disease
• A family history of high cholesterol
• Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (a genetic condition where you are born with very high cholesterol levels in your blood)

If you look after the things you can control, you can help lower your risk of high cholesterol. And with a few lifestyle changes, you could even lower bad cholesterol levels just by eating healthily and exercising more frequently.

How do you diagnose High Cholesterol?

As mentioned, high cholesterol is diagnosed following a blood test. This cholesterol test is called a lipid profile and is usually carried out by a doctor or nurse. It measures your:

• Total cholesterol
• HDL (good) cholesterol
• Non-HDL (bad) cholesterol
• Triglycerides (a type of fat that can also lead to narrowing of the arteries)

Cholesterol test

There are two types of this blood cholesterol test. One takes blood from your arm with a needle – the blood is sent to a lab, with results usually provided in a few days. The other is a finger-prick test, where a drop of blood is placed on a strip and put into a machine that measures cholesterol, giving results in a few minutes.

What to do if you have High Cholesterol?

If you think you may have high cholesterol, see your doctor to get a blood test. If your results show you have high cholesterol, follow these guidelines to gain control of your diagnosis and help reduce your non-HDL levels:

• Quit smoking
• Reduce the amount of alcohol you drink
• Exercise more frequently
• Reach a healthy weight
• Eat a healthy diet (we’ll go into more detail on this below)

Become part of our global health community at Carecircle and find support and best practices from others with high cholesterol. Share your experiences with the condition and what works for you. Together, we can help each other into a new tomorrow.

What’s the treatment for High Cholesterol? How to lower cholesterol?

Living a healthy lifestyle, with frequent exercise and a well-balanced diet, is one of the main ways to prevent and lower high cholesterol. Speak to your doctor and arrange a blood test to check your cholesterol levels. If the levels are high, a clinician may also prescribe medications to help lower your cholesterol as well – especially if your levels aren’t reduced by lifestyle changes. These medications include:

• Statins – the most common medication, make the liver remove cholesterol from your body
• Cholesterol absorption inhibitors – limit how much cholesterol can be absorbed by the small intestine, lowering your blood cholesterol levels
• Bile-acid-binding resins – lower your cholesterol by prompting your liver to use cholesterol to make more bile acids
• Bempedoic acid – is a new treatment for high cholesterol which reduces how much cholesterol is made in the liver.

Low Cholesterol Diet

You can help tackle high cholesterol by eating a healthy, well-balanced, low cholesterol diet. There are certain food groups you should eat more of and others you should cut out or reduce. To lower your cholesterol levels:

Try to eat more:

• Soluble fibre – found in foods such as black beans, kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and pears – to reduce how much cholesterol is absorbed in your blood stream
• Oily fish, such as mackerel and salmon
• Fruits and vegetables
• Nuts and seeds
• Whole grains
• Brown rice, brown bread, and brown pasta
• Herbs and spices, particularly garlic, ginger, and turmeric, which are good at lowering cholesterol levels
• Green tea

Try to avoid or eat less:

• Foods high in saturated fat
• Stop eating trans-fats – often labelled as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and used in margarine, cakes, and cookies
• Full-fat dairy, including hard cheeses, whole milk, and full-fat yogurt
• Red meat, such as beef, lamb, and pork
• Sausages and other fatty meats, such as bacon
• Baked goods and sweets
• Processed foods and meats
• Butter, ghee, and lard
• Fried and fast foods
• Shellfish
• Coffee
• Sugars

High Cholesterol FAQs

Here, we answer all your high cholesterol frequently asked questions. We get directly to the point so you can get the health information you need in an instant.

How to reduce cholesterol in 30 days?

Reduce your cholesterol levels in 30 days by eating a Mediterranean diet, cutting down on saturated fats, removing trans fats from your diet, increasing your exercise, and losing weight. Stop smoking and drink alcohol in moderation as well, to help lower high cholesterol.

What reduces cholesterol quickly?

Reducing your weight, exercising frequently, eating lots of vegetable and fruits, and leading a healthy lifestyle are some of the best ways to reduce cholesterol quickly and naturally. Eat more sources of plant protein, reduce saturated fats, and cut out trans fats, fatty foods, and processed foods.

What is a healthy cholesterol level by age?

For children and teenagers, a healthy total cholesterol level is less than 170mg/dl, with less than 120mg/dl of non-HDL (bad) cholesterol. For adults, a healthy total should be between 125-200mg/dl, with less than 130mg/dl of non-HDL (bad) cholesterol.

Are prawns high in cholesterol?

Prawns and shrimp are both high in cholesterol. However, they are also low in fat, low in calories, and a good source of protein. As part of a balanced diet, eating prawns and shrimp in moderation is okay even when trying to reduce cholesterol levels.

Do you have a question about high cholesterol? Join the conversation at Carecircle for free and become part of our supportive community, where you can talk with others who have high cholesterol and ask us further questions about it.

High Cholesterol Resources

Here are some other resources about high cholesterol, which you may be interested in exploring further. At Carecircle, we’ll always point you in the right direction towards additional information that could bring you greater help, hope, and control over your diagnosis.

• https://www.heartuk.org.uk/
• https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/cholesterol-healthy-eating-tips
• https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/
• https://www.heartandstroke.ca/-/media/pdf-files/canada/heart/how-to-manage-your-cholesterol-en.ashx?la=en&hash=BAAD552864358761D53F210A449640100E6B0B53
• https://www.nutritionist-resource.org.uk/articles/high-cholesterol.html
• https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/cholesterol-tools-and-resources
• https://www.everydayhealth.com/high-cholesterol/guide/resources/
• https://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/materials_for_patients.htm
• https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/high-cholesterol
• https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/heart-health-education/high-blood-cholesterol
• https://www.ahrq.gov/evidencenow/projects/heart-health/evidence/cholesterol.html

If you have high cholesterol, you can help manage your diagnosis by making a few lifestyle changes – from exercising more, to eating more healthily. It may take time, but you can lower your cholesterol levels, whether naturally or through medication prescribed by your clinician. We at Carecircle are here for you every step of your journey, ready to provide additional help, support, and hope whenever you need it.

Guide Sources:

• https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-cholesterol/
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/symptoms-causes/syc-20350800
• https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/high-cholesterol
• https://www.healthline.com/health/high-cholesterol#what-it-is
• https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/blood-and-lymph/high-cholesterol
• https://www.heartuk.org.uk/cholesterol/what-is-high-cholesterol
• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9152
• https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11920-cholesterol-numbers-what-do-they-mean
• https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21656-hyperlipidemia
• https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1427529/high-cholesterol-levels-signs-symptoms-xanthelasma-xanthoma
• https://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/guide/understanding-cholesterol-problems-symptoms
• https://www.healthline.com/health/high-cholesterol-symptoms#symptoms
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/reduce-cholesterol/art-20045935
• https://www.heartuk.org.uk/low-cholesterol-foods/foods-that-contain-cholesterol#:~:text=Some%20shellfish%20such%20as%20cockles,as%20often%20as%20you%20like