High cholesterol increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Some studies suggest a possible link between stress and cholesterol, which can cause high cholesterol.
Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in some foods and produced by the body.
When
bad cholesterol is too high, it builds up in your arteries. This affects blood flow to the brain and heart, leading to
strokes or
heart attacks.
The ideal cholesterol level in our diet is:
- low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol: less than 100 mg/dl
- high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol: more than 60 mg/dl
- total cholesterol: less than 200 mg/dl