Causes of High Cholesterol Beyond Food: Age, Unhealthy Diet, Obesity, Lack of Exercise, Smoking, and Diabetes

As previously mentioned, one of the main factors causing high cholesterol is food consumption. Fried and junk food, processed meat, seafood, sweet and salty foods, egg yolks, and alcohol are some of the foods that cause cholesterol to rise.

However, there are also various risk factors for high cholesterol other than food, namely:

Age

Age can be a factor that causes high cholesterol. Body chemistry can change with age, the risk of high cholesterol will increase. For example, as we age, the liver becomes less able to remove LDL cholesterol.

Unhealthy diet

Eating too many foods that contain high amounts of fat increases LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. Eating saturated fats, which are found in animal products and trans fats, can be a cause of high cholesterol. Foods that are high in cholesterol, such as red meat and full-fat dairy products, will also increase cholesterol.

obesity

The next cause of high cholesterol is obesity. Having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater puts you at risk for high cholesterol.

Large waist circumference.

The risk of causing high cholesterol will increase if you are a man with a waist circumference ≥ 102 cm or a woman with a waist circumference ≥ 89 cm.

Lack of exercise

Exercise helps increase the body’s HDL, or “good,” cholesterol while reducing the size of the particles that make up LDL, or “bad” cholesterol.

Smoking

The cause of high cholesterol can also be influenced by smoking habits. Smoking can damage the walls of blood vessels, making them more prone to accumulate fat. Smoking can also lower levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol.

Diabetes

High blood sugar contributes to higher levels of harmful cholesterol called very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and lowers HDL cholesterol. High blood sugar also damages the lining of the arteries.