Untreated or undertreated high cholesterol is associated with a lower life span due to the risk of heart attack and stroke, but it's still possible to live a long life with high cholesterol, provided you follow a heart-healthy lifestyle and take medication if needed.
Many people who have high cholesterol die from complications of heart disease before reaching an advanced age. Those who live into their 70s or 80s despite high cholesterol might have other factors that increased their longevity.
The longer you have high cholesterol, the more likely you are to develop heart disease. In one study, people who had high levels for 11 years or more had double the risk than those who had them for 10 years or less. Most people with high cholesterol don't have any warning signs.
High cholesterol levels can lead to hardening of the arteries, also called atherosclerosis. This occurs when fat, cholesterol, and other substances build up in the walls of arteries and form hard structures called plaques.
Completely reversing it isn't possible yet. But taking a statin can reduce the risk of complications from atherosclerosis. The statin fights inflammation, which stabilizes the plaque. For this reason, statins are often key to treating atherosclerosis.
As a general guide, total cholesterol levels should be: 5mmol/L or less for healthy adults. 4mmol/L or less for those at high risk.
Cholesterol levels and age
Years of unmanaged cholesterol levels can be challenging to treat. The CDC recommends that people aged 20 or over check their cholesterol levels every 5 years , or more frequently if they have other cardiovascular disease risk factors.
However, the two largest effects that a high cholesterol can have on your body are the increased chance of a stroke or a heart attack. If there is a clog in one of your coronary artery, your heart doesn't receive enough blood or oxygen. This ends up weakening your heart and creates long term damage.
Age. Everyone's risk for high cholesterol goes up with age. This is because as we age, our bodies can't clear cholesterol from the blood as well as they could when we were younger. This leads to higher cholesterol levels, which raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.
According to the largest ever study of global cholesterol levels, led by Imperial College London and published in 2020, high cholesterol is responsible for about 3.9 million deaths annually worldwide. Keeping your cholesterol in check lowers your risk.
Total cholesterol levels should be lower than 5.5 mmol/L, if you have no other risk factors. If you have cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, pre-existing cardiovascular (heart) disease or diabetes, or you smoke, the aim for LDL cholesterol levels would be less than 2 mmol/L.
High cholesterol levels are considered: too high: between 5 and 6.4mmol/l. very high: between 6.5 and 7.8mmol/l. extremely high: above 7.8mmol/l.
A person is considered at high risk for developing heart disease if their total cholesterol level is higher than 240 mg/dL, LDL levels are higher than 160 mg/dL (190 mg/dL is even higher risk), and if the HDL level is below 40 mg/dL.
Total cholesterol of 5.8mmols/l is higher than recommended, but could be reduced with simple diet and lifestyle changes rather than medical treatment. Medical treatment would only be appropriate if the level was much higher.
Levels of LDL cholesterol higher than 130 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) are linked to an increased risk for ischemic stroke.
A complete cholesterol test will measure your blood's total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglyceride levels. According to the guidelines provided by healthcare experts, normal total cholesterol levels in Australia for individuals at high risk are 4.0 mmol/L and 5.5 mmol/L for the general population.
Atherosclerosis, which causes diseases of the arteries, is a very common process. One of the biggest risk factors for atherosclerosis is age, so it is more common among people in their 60s and 70s, although there are many elderly people who don't have significant atherosclerosis.
Dr. Lisa Matzer: Stress is known to increase cholesterol levels and in particular the bad LDL cholesterol. The amount of stress in your life isn't as important as how you deal with it. The more anger and hostility that stress produces in you, the higher (and worse) your LDL and triglyceride levels tend to be.
A number of studies have linked short-term sleep deprivation with several well-known risk factors for heart disease, including higher cholesterol levels, higher triglyceride levels, and higher blood pressure.
Even if you follow a healthy diet, it's possible to still have high cholesterol if you have genetic risk factors. Familial hypercholesterolemia is an inherited condition that affects how your body recycles LDL cholesterol. It affects about 1.3 million Americans.
Red Wine and Grape Juice
Alcohol may raise levels of good HDL cholesterol by as much as 5 to 15 percent, research shows — and red wine is particularly beneficial because its polyphenol antioxidants may also lower LDL levels.