Cholesterol can become a risk to health, however, when there is more in the body than is needed. Excess cholesterol becomes deposited in the arteries as atherosclerosis, which can damage the heart and other organs. Some of these particles can cause heart disease, while others can actually help protect the heart. Individual variations in body composition, diet, activity level, as well as methods of collecting and testing blood samples, can affect the accuracy of cholesterol measurements. Therefore, persons with high cholesterol or at high risk for cardiovascular disease may need to have blood cholesterol checked two or more times over several weeks.
Heredity plays an especially important role in determining an individual's cholesterol level.
Most people are somewhere between these extremes. Their genetic makeup allows their cholesterol levels to move up or down according to what they eat. For most individuals, a diet high in cholesterol or high in saturated fats raises blood cholesterol levels. In general, the more cholesterol and saturated fats put into the body by eating such foods, the higher a person's cholesterol level will be. Someone with any of these risk factors should also reduce their blood cholesterol level.