Learn more: 14 tips for quitting smoking ». High levels of unhealthy cholesterol can reduce the flow of blood through your vessels. Over time, this can increase the risk of developing the following conditions:.
High levels of cholesterol are usually asymptomatic. Your primary care physician will draw your blood to check lipid levels. Your results will typically include:. For the most accurate results, you should avoid drinking or eating anything except water for at least 10 hours prior to the test.
Generally, doctors use the following guidelines when interpreting the results of total cholesterol:. You should have your levels tested about every five years. If you have more risk factors for cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol, you should start getting lipid panel screenings in your 20s, and at more frequent intervals.
If the results show you have unhealthy levels of cholesterol or other lipids, your doctor will work with you to create a treatment and monitoring plan. If you think you may be at risk for familial hypercholesterolemia, your doctor may recommend genetic testing. Genetic testing can identify faulty genes and determine if you have familial hypercholesterolemia.
If you do test positive for familial hypercholesterolemia, you may need more frequent lipid panels. Treating high cholesterol can be challenging, so you may need to use a combination of methods to manage your levels.
These methods may include:. Healthy diet: Eating a diet high in fiber-rich grains, protein, and unsaturated fats will lower harmful LDL cholesterol. Focus on eating healthy foods such as:. Avoid eating a lot of foods high in animal-based saturated fats, such as full-fat dairy, highly processed sweets, and red meat. Exercise regularly: The surgeon general recommends minutes of moderate- to high-intensity aerobic exercise each week. Additionally, consider adding in some resistance exercises to increase muscle mass.
Stop or reduce smoking: If you need help quitting smoking, talk to your doctor. They can recommend smoking cessation programs. It also helps to have a support group, so talk to a close friend or family member about your goal to quit smoking, and ask them to help offer encouragement and support.
Maintain a healthy body weight and low percentage of body fat: Try to aim for a BMI below These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. What Is High Cholesterol? High Cholesterol: Signs and Symptoms.
Is High Cholesterol Hereditary? Genetic Risk: Familial Hypercholesterolemia. How to Diagnose and Treat High Cholesterol. Ways to Prevent High Cholesterol. Recap Not all cholesterol is bad. The 6 Best Cholesterol Test Kits of Recap Make sure to tell your doctor if you have a family history of high cholesterol or heart disease. Frequently Asked Questions Can you prevent high cholesterol entirely if it is hereditary? Can hereditary high cholesterol be lowered if inherited? To what extent is high cholesterol hereditary?
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Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Related Articles. Hypercholesterolemia vs Hyperlipidemia: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment.
Familial Hypercholesterolemia Test: Results and Treatment. Why Is My Cholesterol High? What Is Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia?
What Is Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia? Learn more. Seth Shay Martin, M. And while we tend to think of those events as happening to an older population, people under the age of 55 can also be affected, especially if they were born with high cholesterol.
This condition is called familial hypercholesterolemia FH. FH is an inherited disorder that makes it harder for your body to remove low-density lipoprotein LDL cholesterol from your blood.
The result? From childhood, cholesterol builds up along the walls of your arteries and veins, narrowing the passageways and drastically increasing your risk of heart attack or stroke at a very early age. Overview Familial hypercholesterolemia affects the way the body processes cholesterol. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Kliegman RM, et al.
Defects in metabolism of lipids. In: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. Elsevier; Accessed July 15, Goldman L, et al. Disorders of lipid metabolism. In: Goldman-Cecil Medicine. Familial hypercholesterolemia.
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