Being athletic and fit can still have High Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy substance in the blood that is used to build healthy cells, but when levels get too high — due to poor diet and other lifestyle habits, existing medical conditions, genetics, or a combination of these factors — the risk of heart disease increases. That is because high cholesterol causes fatty deposits to develop in the blood vessels, and these deposits constrict blood flow to the arteries over time and may suddenly break off to form a clot, causing a heart attack or stroke. 

There are two main types of cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol.

A blood test can check a person’s cholesterol levels. Test results display cholesterol levels in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood. For adults, cholesterol ranges include:

normal: 199 mg/dL or lower

borderline: 200–239 mg/dL

high: over 240 mg/dL

However, there may be different guidelines, depending on where a person lives. For example, the recommended normal level in South Africa is below 189.5 mg/dL.

Experts often cite weight as a potential risk factor for high cholesterol. The American Heart Association (AHA) says being overweight or obese can raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, and a weight loss of 5 to 10 percent can help improve those numbers. But there are also other contributing factors, including age, lifestyle (like diet, exercise and other habits such as smoking and alcohol use), personal and family history. Thus being physically fit can still have a chance to have high cholesterol.

A cholesterol treatment plan will include good lifestyle habits involving a healthy diet plan, sufficient exercise, adequate sleep and stress reduction. 

According to Cleveland Clinic, aerobic exercise, such as walking, raises HDL cholesterol. This, combined with weight loss and a healthy diet, can also help lower LDL cholesterol. By the way, walking is a great exercise, because it is aerobic, easy to do and accessible. Other options include running, swimming and dancing.

The AHA recommends at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days of the week.

Statins are the most commonly prescribed medication to treat high cholesterol and can help people who have been unsuccessful at lowering their numbers through lifestyle modifications alone. Actually, today’s medications are so good that they may normalize a person’s cholesterol numbers by themselves.