1st Mens Health

High cholesterol, often coined with heart disease, 1 of the top killers in our modern society today. With a huge variety of fast food chains scattered across the globe, efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle through a proper diet are becoming harder. Even with this said, other than an unhealthy diet, there are still other causes of high cholesterol that many people may not know about. Scientific research have helped us to identify certain causes of high cholesterol, and hopefully after going through them, you would have sufficient information to understand what causes high cholesterol and take actions to prevent it from occurring in your life.

Our Weight: Extra pounds on your body can be potentially dangerous as it can increase the cholesterol level of your body tremendously. Bringing back the example of America, it is without a doubt that Americans are facing huge problems, literally; as a result of an unhealthy diet of fast food and lack of a lifestyle of exercise. Foods that contain high amounts of saturated fat are often the main culprit, yet the one getting punished is us, as we fall sick with diseases such as heart problems and high cholesterol. Saturated fat can often be found in food such as, fast food, packaged food and prepared food. Furthermore, besides food high in saturated fat, foods that contain high amounts of carbohydrates can also lead to high cholesterol. It is true that carbohydrates give us the energy we need daily, but when the energy is left unused, it is converted into fat.

Genetic Heritage: Being born into a family with a history of cholesterol problems can also be a cause for high cholesterol. In such cases, generation after generation would pass down the genetic dysfunctions which include the inability to eliminate cholesterol from the body or their bodies produce excessive quantities of cholesterol. As a result, it would be especially difficult to keep their cholesterol levels in check; even with the best kind of medication, it still may have a chance of failure to keep the cholesterol levels of these people at a normal level. Despite this, with a right diet, proper exercise lifestyle and medical treatments, it can reduce the chances of having serious complications.

Gender / Age: As we age, it is inevitable that our cholesterol levels would increase. Despite cases where children as young as 10 years old have been diagnosed with heart disease due to high cholesterol, research has shown that as we age, our cholesterol levels would also rise. Researchers have also found out that men are generally more likely to have higher levels of cholesterol, this occurs due to the male body producing larger amounts of cholesterol than the female body. However, it has also been found out that women tend to be more prone to heart disease after menopause.

Stress: In itself, stress does not directly bring about higher levels of cholesterol, yet immense amounts of stress can cause one to have behavioral changes and lifestyle changes. It may result in eating disorders or even causing one to lead an unhealthy lifestyle of not exercising. Such change in lifestyle would inevitably lead to a life plagued by high cholesterol.

As you can see from the points mentioned above, obesity or eating junk food excessively are not the only causes of high cholesterol. Even a healthy person can fall victim to heart disease due to high cholesterol due to genetic heritage. Yet, watching out diet, having regular exercise and leading a carefree life with less stress can actually still help us in keeping our cholesterol levels in check.