Description

Aside from stroke and heart disease, are there any other major health risks associated with high cholesterol levels? Find out more in this video.

Transcript

Simon: Hi! I am Simon from Old Town, Maine and I was wondering besides stroke and heart-attack, are there any further complications I can have because of high cholesterol? Mimi Ghosh: Thank you for your question, Simon. Cholesterol is a soft waxy material that's found in all parts of your body. There are two areas where it can come from. One is, it's produced in the liver and the other is how you take it in through your diet. Cholesterol can build up in the arteries and cause a disease called Atherosclerosis. This is a disease where blood flow in the arteries is limited by the cholesterol in the arteries. This can also raise the risk of coronary artery disease and stroke. Other diseases associated could be a high blood pressure or diabetes since many of the risk factors are similar. Obesity, smoking, inactivity, these things can lead to all of these problems. Therefore, we encourage people to be very aware of their risk factors as they go through life.