Get Ahead of High Cholesterol: It’s Never Too Early

Content medically reviewed by Rachel Hare, APRN, CNP

High cholesterol doesn’t just affect people in their 50s, 60s, and older. It can also occur decades earlier, potentially setting the stage for cardiovascular disease, including heart attack or stroke.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 86 million people in the U.S. age 20 or older have high cholesterol. Without screening, many would never know it, as this condition rarely has warning signs or symptoms. Learn how you can take action to support healthy cholesterol levels, from getting screened to building habits that are good for your heart.

High Cholesterol: Terms & Targets to Know

Let’s start with the basics. Cholesterol, a wax-like substance, is present in your blood and every cell in your body. Your body makes cholesterol, which is a key building block of cell membranes and a precursor for vitamin D and certain hormones.

“Cholesterol is often misunderstood. While your body needs it to function, problems can develop when levels become too high,” said Rachel Hare, APRN, CNP at Essentia Health. “This reputation is mainly due to the fact that problems occur when you get too much cholesterol from food, exceeding the healthy amount your body produces. Excess cholesterol can cause plaque to build up on the walls of the arteries, which can increase your risk for heart disease.”

Where Cholesterol Comes From

The liver makes the cholesterol your body needs to function properly. Cholesterol also comes from your diet, specifically animal foods like fatty cuts of meat and whole dairy products.

Types of Cholesterol

Your primary care provider (PCP) will measure different types of cholesterol using a blood test called a lipid panel. Here are the types of cholesterol the tests measure, and the ideal level for each.

What Happens if High Cholesterol Is Left Untreated?

Without treatment, high cholesterol can have serious consequences for your health. Too much plaque in your arteries can restrict or block blood flow to the heart or brain. This increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. Narrowed arteries can also reduce blood flow to other parts of the body, such as the legs, a condition called peripheral artery disease. 

Know Your Risk Factors

In young adults, high cholesterol typically occurs due to two factors: an unhealthy lifestyle and family history.

“You are more likely to develop high cholesterol if you eat a lot of foods high in trans fats and saturated fats, like full-fat dairy products, red meat, and processed foods,” Hare said. “In addition to an unhealthy diet, smoking, high stress, and a lack of exercise can raise your risk.”

The genes you inherit from your parents can also contribute to cholesterol problems. For example, some people have familial hypercholesterolemia, in which your blood cholesterol is very high.

How to Protect Your Health

High cholesterol can go unnoticed because it develops silently, without symptoms. Because it develops silently, regular screening is important. If you’re age 20 or older, get a lipid panel with your PCP and ensure you see them for cholesterol checks at least every four years, or more often if you have risk factors such as a family history of heart disease, obesity, or diabetes. Some providers may also look at non-HDL cholesterol or other markers for a more complete picture.

“Knowing your cholesterol numbers helps you and your PCP understand what to do to protect your heart and blood vessels,” Hare said. “If you have high cholesterol, it can often be improved. Some people can reduce it just by making heart-healthy lifestyle changes. Others may need to take a cholesterol-lowering medicine called a statin to complement their new healthy habits.”

Whatever your management plan looks like, be patient and stick with it. Results can take a few weeks to a few months to appear. Take these steps to help reduce your cholesterol –

• Add beneficial foods to your diet and limit unhealthy ones. Foods high in fiber, like beans, and unsaturated fats, such as nuts, can help boost HDL while managing LDL and triglycerides. On the other hand, too much saturated and trans fat can lead to unhealthy cholesterol levels.
• Kick the habit if you smoke. Smoking lowers HDL levels while raising LDL and triglyceride levels.
• Manage your weight. Excess body fat increases LDL levels and complicates the body’s ability to remove LDL from the blood.
• Minimize alcohol use. Alcohol can drive cholesterol and triglyceride levels higher. Avoid it altogether or, at the least, have no more than one drink per day for women or two for men.

Move more. Regular exercise can reduce cholesterol levels and help you maintain a healthy weight.

The Bottom Line

Your cholesterol levels aren’t locked in for life. Whether they’re good or need work, you can take action to protect your heart health for years to come. Keep these key points in mind –

• Your liver makes the cholesterol your body needs, but lifestyle and diet can influence unhealthy levels.
• Poor habits, like an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, and a family history of high cholesterol are key risk factors for this condition.
• Young adults should get a lipid panel to learn their cholesterol status and then make lifestyle changes, such as exercising and following a heart-healthy diet, to support healthy levels.