High cholesterol stems from diet, lifestyle, medical conditions, and genetics. Early screening, healthier eating, regular activity, and - when needed - medications like statins reduce long-term heart and stroke risk.
High cholesterol usually causes no obvious symptoms. Visible signs like xanthomas or corneal arcus appear mainly when levels are very high. Screening with a lipid panel and managing risk factors can help prevent heart attack and stroke.
High cholesterol results from diet, lifestyle, genetics, and other health conditions. You can lower LDL and improve lipids with diet changes, exercise, quitting smoking, and, when needed, medication.
High LDL cholesterol results from genetics, diet, lifestyle, and other medical conditions. Most people can lower risk by improving diet, exercising, managing health conditions, and - when needed - using medications.