These deposits, called plaque, are made of fats deposited from the bloodstream. If the deposits get large enough, blood vessels may become clogged, thus decreasing blood flow. These deposits result in atherosclerosis, which can cause blood clots to form that totally stop blood flow. If this happens in the arteries supplying the heart, a heart attack will occur. If it happens in the brain, a portion of brain tissue dies and this results in a stroke.
Atherosclerosis causes more deaths from heart disease than any other single condition.
Hypercholesterolemia is a silent disease. There are no symptoms until the resulting atherosclerosis causes complications, such as the chest pain of a heart attack or a stroke with subsequent paralysis. The fasting is done to determine your LDL and HDL cholesterol, which can only be accurately determined in a fasting state. If your cholesterol is elevated, discussions with your physician will be needed to determine if treatment is needed. Help you lose weight, if necessary.