High Blood Cholesterol Overview

Cholesterol is a type of lipid (organic fats and oils) that is found in every cell of the body and is transported throughout the body by the bloodstream. Cholesterol plays an important role in the production of:

• Cell membranes (outer walls)
• Steroid hormones (including the sex hormones)
• Vitamin D
• Bile acids (helps digest fat)

Although most of the body's cholesterol is made in the liver, people also get cholesterol from their diet—in foods such as eggs, meat, milk products, and shellfish.

If the body produces and consumes more cholesterol than it needs, excess cholesterol starts building up in the blood. Fatty cholesterol deposits (plaques) form on the inner walls of the arteries (blood vessels), causing the arteries to narrow (atherosclerosis). If the blood supply to the heart and other organs becomes obstructed, people are at risk of developing serious medical conditions, such as heart disease and stroke.

According to the American Heart Association, the age-adjusted prevalence among Americans of age 20 and older who have high cholesterol is approximately:

• 31.8% white men and 31.5% white women
• 30.7% black men and 29.6% black women
• 33.9% Mexican American men and 35.8% Mexican American women

The statistics for people who are at risk of developing high blood cholesterol (have borderline high cholesterol) is approximately:

• 16.1% white men and 18.2% white women
• 14.1% black men and 12.5% black women
• 16.0% Mexican American men and 14.2% Mexican American women