You probably already know that high cholesterol is closely linked to your diet. If you eat a lot of fats, your cholesterol level will be higher and this will start to build up in your arteries. However, diet and fats aren't the only high cholesterol causes. In fact, your genes, your age, and your gender can play important roles as well.
High Cholesterol Causes And Your Genes:
If your parents and perhaps even grandparents had high cholesterol, it is very likely that you will have that condition too. Hence, if you know that you have such a family background, you need to be even more careful about what you eat. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to change your genes. What you can do is control your own cholesterol intake and then educate your children so that they will know what to do to avoid the condition as well. If you have familial high cholesterol, you need to make sure that you control your diet even more than the average person, and that you exercise even more.
High Cholesterol Causes And Your Age And Gender:
As you age, your cholesterol level will also increase. The worse your diet is, and the less you move about and exercise, the higher your cholesterol level will be. If you are under 30 and you know that there is a problem with your cholesterol level, you still have a chance to address this through lifestyle changes. If, however, you are over 30, then it is likely that it is in partly due to your age. At that point, you must make a concerted effort to change your lifestyle as well. This is particularly true if you are a woman as, genetically, women have a bigger chance of developing such a condition compared to men.
Check Your Belly:
If you suddenly find that your stomach is starting to expand, but not other parts of your body, then you probably have high cholesterol. People who are overweight or obese are almost guaranteed to have high cholesterol. This is no laughing matter as everything is literally at stake. You could lose your life if you don't address these problems. At the same time, it is true that leading a healthy lifestyle seems to be almost impossible nowadays. We have too many social, personal, and professional responsibilities to have time to work out and cook healthy meals from scratch. They say that 'you are what you eat', however, and this is true. If you eat foods high in fat, you will become fat. If you eat unhealthy things, you will become unhealthy. Fortunately, there are steps you can take, such as spending one day a week preparing healthy meals to last the entire week. Whatever it is that you do to make changes, it is important that you actually do it.
Relax:
Last but not least, learn to relax. We spend too much of our time being stressed, and this has a very detrimental effect on our overall health and well-being. Feeling stressed will also make you less likely to exercise, and more likely to overeat on junk food.