What causes high blood cholesterol levels?
In Western society, overeating, especially of saturated fats, contributes to high blood cholesterol levels (over 5.2 mmol/L or 200 mg/dL) in most adults. But there are other important causes: • The body’s inability to handle cholesterol properly due to inherited defects in body chemistry. In these situations the levels are usually very high (over 7.5 mmol/L or 280 mg/dL in adults), and usually more than one member of the family is affected. • Some drugs increase blood cholesterol levels. • Diseases such as thyroid, kidney and liver disorders, diabetes, as well as several other less common disorders may increase blood cholesterol.
