Can you live a long life with high cholesterol?

Untreated or undertreated high cholesterol is associated with a lower life span due to the risk of heart attack and stroke, but it's still possible to live a long life with high cholesterol, provided you follow a heart-healthy lifestyle and take medication if needed.

Can you live a healthy life with high cholesterol?

Many people who have high cholesterol die from complications of heart disease before reaching an advanced age. Those who live into their 70s or 80s despite high cholesterol might have other factors that increased their longevity.

Does high cholesterol shorten life?

A recent research study published in the British Medical Journal suggests that for older folks, a high concentration of LDL (“bad” cholesterol) does not shorten life, and may, in fact, prolong life.

What is the life expectancy of someone with high cholesterol?

The life expectancy of a 50-year-old smoker with high blood pressure and high cholesterol was estimated to be 24 years, while a 50-year-old with none of the risk factors could expect to live nine additional years, to age 83.

Is high cholesterol lifelong disease?

LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. Now a new study suggests that, like smoking, it has a cumulative effect over a lifetime: The longer a person has high LDL, the greater their risk of suffering a heart attack or cardiac arrest.

Bad Cholesterol Can Make You Live Longer - Dr. Berg

Can cholesterol be cured permanently?

You can treat high cholesterol with healthy lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, and weight loss and, sometimes, medications too. Your cholesterol treatment plan is done on a case-by-case basis, based on: Your blood cholesterol test results. Your age, family history of high cholesterol, or heart problems.

Can you reverse high cholesterol?

It is possible for lifestyle changes to change cholesterol levels within weeks. However, it may take longer, usually about 3 months — sometimes more. Some doctors recommend adding a cholesterol-lowering drug if a person has not lowered their LDL cholesterol after about 12 weeks of lifestyle changes.

At what age should you worry about high cholesterol?

Years of unmanaged cholesterol levels can be challenging to treat. The CDC recommends that people aged 20 or over check their cholesterol levels every 5 years , or more frequently if they have other cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Does cholesterol worsen with age?

Everyone's risk for high cholesterol goes up with age. This is because as we age, our bodies can't clear cholesterol from the blood as well as they could when we were younger. This leads to higher cholesterol levels, which raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Is high cholesterol a death sentence?

Being diagnosed with high cholesterol, heart disease or even FH is not a death sentence. Every person's health considerations are unique, but by working with your doctor, you can come up with a plan to help manage your health and maintain the strongest heart possible.

What are the warning signs of high cholesterol?

What is considered dangerously high cholesterol?

A person is considered at high risk for developing heart disease if their total cholesterol level is higher than 240 mg/dL, LDL levels are higher than 160 mg/dL (190 mg/dL is even higher risk), and if the HDL level is below 40 mg/dL.

What level of high cholesterol requires medication?

Your health care provider may prescribe medicine if: You have already had a heart attack or stroke, or you have peripheral arterial disease. Your LDL cholesterol level is 190 mg/dL or higher.

How quickly can cholesterol change?

Some dietary changes may cause minor reductions in cholesterol in as little as 4 weeks . Most people can expect to see the difference in a few months by following a heart-healthy diet.

Is 7.5 A high cholesterol level?

A total cholesterol level of 7.5 mmol/L (290 mg/dL) is considered high. Although cholesterol has several essential roles in the body, high cholesterol puts you at greater risk for heart disease.

How do you permanently cure high cholesterol?

Can you lower cholesterol without medication?

You can begin to reduce your "bad" LDL cholesterol naturally by making a few simple changes in your diet. If your cholesterol is creeping upward, your doctor has probably told you that diet and exercise—the traditional cornerstones of heart health—could help to bring it down.

Are statins worth the risk?

Research has shown that statins are highly effective in reducing the risk of fatal heart attack and stroke.

Do you have to take cholesterol medicine forever?

Statins are typically very successful at lowering cholesterol, but they only work as long as you're taking them. Therefore, most people who begin taking a statin medication will likely take it for the rest of their lives.

What is stroke level cholesterol?

Levels of LDL cholesterol higher than 130 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) are linked to an increased risk for ischemic stroke.

Is 224 a high cholesterol?

You have borderline high cholesterol if your total cholesterol is between 200 and 239 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Your doctor will also consider other things, like how much of your total cholesterol is LDL ("bad") cholesterol and how much of it is HDL ("good") cholesterol.

Why is my cholesterol so high?

It's mainly caused by eating fatty food, not exercising enough, being overweight, smoking and drinking alcohol. It can also run in families. You can lower your cholesterol by eating healthily and getting more exercise. Some people also need to take medicine.

Is 285 cholesterol high?

A total cholesterol level of 240 mg/dL or above is high. A normal cholesterol level is under 200 mg/dL. Between 200 mg/dL and 239 mg/dL is considered borderline high.

Does walking help cholesterol?

A person can combat high cholesterol by exercising regularly. Forms of exercise that help a person lower their total and LDL cholesterol levels include walking, running, cycling, and swimming. Often, these exercises can also help raise the levels of a person's HDL cholesterol.

What exercises lower cholesterol?