Cholesterol | Medical conditions

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a type of fat found in your cells. It’s essential for making hormones, vitamin D, and bile. But if your cholesterol is too high, it might increase your risk of heart disease.

What causes high cholesterol levels?

There are a number of things that can raise your cholesterol levels:

eating foods high in saturated fats and trans fats
lack of exercise
smoking
drinking too much alcohol
a genetic condition called familial hypercholesterolaemia — where your body is unable to remove LDL cholesterol

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Blood tests related to cholesterol

There are no symptoms of high cholesterol, so checking your cholesterol with a blood test can help you monitor your levels. You can also get insights into other risks related to high cholesterol, like diabetes.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is produced by your liver and makes up part of your total cholesterol level. It’s often called ‘bad cholesterol’ but some LDL cholesterol is essential for your health. If your LDL cholesterol levels are too high it increases your risk of heart disease.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is produced by your liver and makes up part of your total cholesterol level. It’s often called ‘good cholesterol’ as it can help protect against heart disease.

Triglycerides are a type of lipid (fat) found in your blood and make up part of your total cholesterol level. If your triglyceride levels get too high it can increase your risk of heart disease.

This is your total cholesterol level divided by your HDL cholesterol. This ratio is used to help calculate your risk of heart disease.

Apolipoproteins are proteins that transport fats, like cholesterol, in your blood — called apo A1 and apo B. Apo A1 helps to protect against heart disease, while apo B is linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

Measuring your apolipoprotein levels is considered a better predictor of your risk of heart disease than a standard cholesterol test.

High cholesterol is often linked to an increased risk of diabetes. A HbA1c test measures your average blood glucose levels over the last 3 months. This helps indicate your risk of pre-diabetes and diabetes.

A high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) test for chronic inflammation — a strong risk factor for heart disease. A raised CRP level is also linked to a number of other health problems, like diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and some cancers.

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Matt is genetically prone to high cholesterol so he regularly checks his LDL and HDL cholesterol, apolipoproteins, and cholesterol ratio. He also tests his HbA1c to check his risk of developing diabetes.