So it is generally assumed that if your total is high, your risk is up. Recently the National Cholesterol Education Program has recommended that doctors look at LDL and HDL numbers separately. If LDL levels are high, and HDL levels are low, a person is at higher risk for developing heart disease. Sometimes someone can have a rather high total cholesterol, but their HDLs are very high, and their LDLs are normal, so this would not be a risk factor for them. The foods you eat and your body chemistry are the two biggest factors.
Some people genetically produce more cholesterol in their livers than others.
Even on a low-fat vegetarian diet, a few individuals have dangerously high cholesterol levels. For most people, diet is the biggest culprit. Both saturated fat and dietary cholesterol increase LDLs. Most foods that contain fat have a combination of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats, terms that refer to the chemical structure of the fat molecules. Saturated fat usually is solid at room temperature, such as the fat on beef.