Uncontrollable risk factors for high cholesterol

An uncontrollable risk factor is one that you cannot change. Uncontrollable risk factors for high cholesterol include age, gender, and heredity.

Many people think that high cholesterol is mainly the result of eating foods that contain a lot of cholesterol. In fact, many factors contribute to the buildup of cholesterol in your blood and the imbalance in specific cholesterol-carrying lipoproteins (LDL and HDL) that affect this buildup. Some people can eat a diet high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories, yet never develop a problem with high cholesterol, while others need to strictly control their diets to prevent and treat high cholesterol.

• Age. Your chances of developing high cholesterol increase as you age. Blood cholesterol levels naturally begin to rise after age 20. This rise is probably a result of the body's decreased ability to rid itself of excess cholesterol.
• Gender. Your gender affects the age when you are at the most risk of developing high cholesterol levels. In general, men tend to develop high cholesterol at a younger age than women. Before menopause, women have lower total blood cholesterol levels and higher HDL ("good") cholesterol levels than men, making them less likely to have coronary artery disease (CAD). After menopause, women's LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels typically increase substantially because of hormonal changes, and their risk for CAD increases along with their risk for high cholesterol. Menopausal women and men about age 50 have cholesterol levels that increase at around the same rate.
• Heredity. High cholesterol can run in families, meaning that the genetic trait that increases the risk for developing high cholesterol can be passed down from one generation to the next. For this reason, it is important for people who have a family history of high cholesterol or CAD to check their cholesterol levels regularly.

Regardless of whether you have a family history of high cholesterol or any other uncontrollable risk factors, the best way to prevent high cholesterol is to make healthy lifestyle changes and treat related conditions, particularly diabetes and hypertension. Also, because high cholesterol is a "silent" condition that rarely causes symptoms, you must find ways to motivate yourself to address your risk factors for high cholesterol.