Having high cholesterol raises your risk of getting heart disease, including

  • Atherosclerosis
  • Coronary artery disease
  • Carotid artery disease
  • Peripheral artery disease
  • Heart attacks
  • Strokes

Cholesterol is a fat-like, waxy substance. Everyone needs some cholesterol for a healthy body. But having high cholesterol isn’t good for you.

Cholesterol travels through your body in your blood. When there’s too much cholesterol in your blood, it can start building up on the walls of your blood vessels. Cholesterol that’s built up along blood vessel walls is called plaque. Plaque gets in the way of your blood flowing, which can slow down or block blood flow. That’s what causes heart disease.

That’s why it’s important to keep your cholesterol levels in check. Talk to your doctor about how you can manage your cholesterol. 

Cholesterol too high? It raises your risk of heart attack and stroke, oh my!