Eating foods containing cholesterol is not the main cause of high cholesterol levels. The real culprit is eating foods that are high in saturated fat. When you eat too much saturated fat, your liver turns that extra saturated fat into extra blood cholesterol. Another fat, trans fat, does that and reduces HDL, or "good," cholesterol. In fact, a 1994 study at the Harvard School of Public Health attributed more than 30,000 heart-disease deaths a year solely to trans fats16 -- and some health experts think that number is low.
Other factors that influence your cholesterol levels include:
Weight. People with excess body fat, especially around the waist, often have higher LDL and lower HDL cholesterol. Losing weight may lower your LDL level, as well as your triglycerides, and boost your HDL cholesterol.
Alcohol . Drinking a lot of alcohol on a regular basis can increase your cholesterol and triglycerides.
Stress. Long-term stress can raise cholesterol levels, although this may be because some people try to ease their stress by eating foods high in saturated and trans fats.
Medical conditions. Some medical conditions such as diabetes can cause cholesterol levels to increase.
Medications. Certain prescription drugs can cause triglyceride levels to increase including estrogens (taken by mouth), birth control, corticosteroids, and thiazide diuretics (to some extent).
You can get cholesterol from the foods you eat and your, read on...Next>>
