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High cholesterol

High cholesterol

High cholesterol has no symptoms but raises your risk of heart attack and stroke. A simple blood test can check it, and it can be lowered.

Written by Neil Hyde Last checked 1 minute read

On this page
  1. Symptoms
  2. Good and bad cholesterol
  3. What raises cholesterol?
  4. Getting checked

Cholesterol is a fatty substance in your blood. Your body needs some, but too much of the wrong kind can build up in your blood vessels and narrow them. This raises your risk of a heart attack, stroke and other circulation problems. More than half of adults in the UK have cholesterol above the healthy level.

Symptoms

High cholesterol does not cause symptoms. The only way to know is a blood test.

Good and bad cholesterol

  • LDL (sometimes called bad cholesterol) can build up in blood vessels
  • HDL (sometimes called good cholesterol) helps remove cholesterol
  • non-HDL cholesterol is all the cholesterol that is not HDL. Doctors often use it to decide on treatment

What raises cholesterol?

  • eating a lot of saturated fat, found in fatty meat, butter, cheese, cakes and biscuits
  • not being active, being overweight, smoking and drinking a lot of alcohol
  • conditions such as type 2 diabetes, an underactive thyroid and kidney disease
  • your genes, including familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH)

Getting checked

In England, adults aged 40 to 74 without a heart or circulation condition are invited for a free NHS Health Check every 5 years. It includes a cholesterol test and works out your chance of a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years, using a tool called QRISK. You can also ask your GP or some pharmacies for a test.

Read about treatment for high cholesterol.

Common questions

What is a healthy cholesterol level?

As a general guide, total cholesterol of 5 or below and "bad" LDL cholesterol of 3 or below (in mmol/L) are healthy for most adults. Your target may be lower if you have heart disease or diabetes. Your doctor will look at your overall risk, not just the numbers.

Can thin people have high cholesterol?

Yes. Genes play a big part. Around 1 in 250 people has an inherited condition called familial hypercholesterolaemia, which causes very high cholesterol from birth.

Sources we used

We check this page at least once a year, and sooner when the rules change. Read how we check our facts, or tell us if something looks wrong.