Having high blood cholesterol puts you at risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
People with high cholesterol have about twice the risk of heart disease as people with lower levels.
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance. Your body needs some cholesterol, but it can build up on the walls of your arteries and lead to heart disease and stroke when you have too much in your blood.
71 million American adults (33.5%) have high low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol.1
Only 1 out of every 3 adults with high LDL cholesterol has the condition under control.1
Less than half of adults with high LDL cholesterol get treatment.1
Lowering your cholesterol can reduce your risk of having a heart attack, needing heart bypass surgery or angioplasty, and dying of heart disease.
Exercising, eating a healthy diet, and not smoking will help you prevent high cholesterol and reduce your levels.
High cholesterol has no symptoms, so many people don’t know that their cholesterol is too high. Your doctor can do a simple blood test to check your levels. The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that adults get their cholesterol checked every five years.