Why is high cholesterol unhealthy?
While some cholesterol is needed for good health, too much cholesterol in your blood is not good. When your body has too much cholesterol, fat gets deposited along the inner wall of your blood vessels. The blood vessel walls thicken and the vessels become narrower (a condition called atherosclerosis). This change in the blood vessels reduces blood flow and can raise your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Sometimes large deposits of cholesterol can completely block an artery.
