High cholesterol levels as a result of failing to reduce cholesterol can lead to a variety of serious health conditions, among them is heart disease which can result in fatal heart attacks. A heart attack can often lead to permanent damage and can be fatal and lead top death. Heart attack is an event also known as myocardial infarction, since in an occurrence of a heart attack part of the heart muscle may die as a result of a blockage in one of the coronary arteries. The severity of the heart attack is directly link to how much the heart muscle has been damaged. When a blockage or narrowing of the coronary arteries occurs, often due to excess cholesterol build up, the heart muscle fails to receive the adequate amount of oxygen-rich blood it needs.

According to statistics every 33 seconds life is taken due to a heart disease. This data alone should emphasize the importance of lowering cholesterol, which is considered to be one of the major causes for heart disease, heart attacks and life threatening strokes. These dangerous conditions as a result of failing to lower cholesterol can either significantly damage the quality of your life or kill you. Either way, the risk is there and the only way to minimize the risk is to make a n honest effort to reduce cholesterol.

High cholesterol or unmanaged excess cholesterol in the blood can eventually build up within artery walls making the arteries narrow and hard. In time your arteries will become clogged with plaque, making it difficult from blood to flow through. Depending on the location of the arteries, if the blockage occurs in vessels leading blood to the heart, you may suffer from a heart disease and if the blocked arteries are those that distribute oxygen to the brain you may have a stroke. A stroke can either be fatal, or can often cause paralysis or speech difficulties.

While blood (serum) cholesterol is produced by your liver and I aimed at protecting cells and helping build cell membranes, dietary cholesterol comes from the food that you eat. One can still have high blood cholesterol levels even if his or her diet is low in saturated fat and cholesterol due to hereditary factors. Either way stepping into a low fat well-balanced diet along with regular exercise and the intake of vitamins and minerals can significantly lower the LDL cholesterol while raising the HDL blood cholesterol. All of the above combined with annual monitoring of cholesterol levels can significantly reduce the risk of having heart disease or heart attack.