Cholesterol tests should be done on anyone that is 20 years of age and older, this is because of he association between heart disease and LDL cholesterol. Anyone that has been diagnosed or has a family history of heart disease, strokes, or high blood pressure should have this testing done. Being overweight, being inactive, having diabetes and eating a high fat diet all carry a risk of having high cholesterol.

High cholesterol can be dangerous for the heart and there are medications that can be prescribe to help in lowering the lipid levels. This includes eating a proper diet and being more active can help in lowering this LDL cholesterol.

There are certain factors that can make the lipid levels high, a recent heart attack, having a family history of high cholesterol, diabetes. Stress can also be a large factor in raising the cholesterol levels.