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The cholesterol level in the blood determines risk of coronary heart diseases. The higher your blood cholesterol level, the greater is your risk. A high blood cholesterol level is not only thing that increases your chance of getting heart disease. There are certain other factors such as age, sex, family history of early heart disease and your personality can play the role. Other factors include cigarette-smoking, high blood pressure; elevated serum cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity and stress.
Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in all parts of our body. It helps to make cell membranes, some hormones and vitamin D.

Just like oil and water, cholesterol and blood do not mix. So, for cholesterol to travel through blood our blood, it is coated with a layer of protein forming lipoprotein. Two lipoproteins are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). When there is too much LDL cholesterol in the blood, it can lead to cholesterol build up in the arteries. That is why LDL cholesterol is called the bad cholesterol. HDL cholesterol on the other hand helps remove cholesterol from the blood and helps prevent the fatty build up. Therefore, HDL cholesterol is called the good cholesterol.

SELF HELP APPROACH
Whatever your blood cholesterol level, you can make changes to help it or keep it low and reduce your risk of heart diseases by eating in a heart healthy way, being physically active, losing weight if you are overweight and taking herbal supplements.

- Use unsaturated fat containing foods.

- Eating fish has been reported to increase HDL cholesterol and is linked to a reduced risk of heart disease in most of the studies.

- Vegetarians have lower cholesterol and fewer heart diseases than meat eaters, in part because they avoid animal fat.

- Soluble fiber from beans, oats, and fruit pectin has lowered cholesterol levels in most trials.
- Eating sugar has been reported to reducep0rotective HDL cholesterol and increases other risk factors linked to heart diseases.

- Drinking coffee increases cholesterol levels.

- Alcohol, on moderate drinking, increases protective HDL cholesterol.

- It has been found in some researches that eating garlic helps cholesterol.

- Exercise increases protective HDL cholesterol, an effect that occurs even from walking.

- Obesity increases the risk of heart diseases, in part because weight gain lowers HDL cholesterol.

- Smoking is linked to a lowered level of cholesterol and is also known to cause heart disease.