Cholesterol Also called: HDL, Hypercholesterolemia, Hyperlipidemia, Hyperlipoproteinemia, LDL Summary Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that occurs naturally in all parts of the body. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much in your blood, it can combine with other substances in the blood and stick to the walls of your arteries. This is called plaque. Plaque can narrow your arteries or even block them. High levels of cholesterol in the blood can increase your risk of heart disease. Your cholesterol levels tend to rise as you get older. There are usually no signs or symptoms that you have high blood cholesterol, but it can be detected with a blood test. You are likely to have high cholesterol if members of your family have it, if you are overweight or if you eat a lot of fatty foods. You can lower your cholesterol by exercising more and eating more fruits and vegetables. You also may need to take medicine to lower your cholesterol. NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Start Here About Cholesterol American Heart Association High Blood Cholesterol National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need to Know National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute High Cholesterol American Academy of Family Physicians What Are High Blood Cholesterol and Triglycerides? American Heart Association What Your Cholesterol Levels Mean American Heart Association NIH MedlinePlus Magazine All in the Family: When High Blood Cholesterol Occurs in Families Cholesterol Levels: What You Need to Know High Blood Cholesterol Q&A with Dr. Michael Lauer What Do Fats Do in the Body? 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National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How to Get Your Cholesterol Tested American Heart Association LDL Cholesterol Test American Association for Clinical Chemistry What Do My Cholesterol Levels Mean? American Heart Association Treatments and Therapies Cholesterol-Lowering Supplements: Lower Your Numbers without Prescription Medication Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Flaxseed and Flaxseed Oil National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Garlic National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Grape Seed Extract National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Green Tea National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health High Cholesterol: Cholesterol-Lowering Medicines American Academy of Family Physicians High Cholesterol: Medicines to Help You Food and Drug Administration How Is High Blood Cholesterol Treated? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Medicines that Help Lower Your High Cholesterol: Array MedlinePlus: Statins National Library of Medicine Niacin to Boost Your HDL “Good” Cholesterol Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Red Clover National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Red Yeast Rice: An Introduction National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Soy National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Time to Talk: High Blood Cholesterol? 5 Things You Should Know National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Cholesterol National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Hypercholesterolemia National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Hyperlipidemia, Familial Combined National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Hyperlipidemias National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Hyperlipoproteinemia Type III National Institutes of Health Teenagers Dietary Fat and Cholesterol Children’s Hospital Boston What Is Cholesterol? 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