High blood cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in your blood. It's produced naturally in the liver. Everyone has cholesterol. We need it to stay healthy because every cell in our body uses it. Some of this cholesterol comes from the food we eat.

High cholesterol is when you have too much cholesterol in your blood. This can increase your risk of heart and circulatory diseases because it sticks to the walls of your arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through.

High cholesterol can be caused by many different things, some we can control, and others we can’t. Lifestyle habits like being more active, reducing saturated fats, and managing your weight help to lower your risk of heart and circulatory disease.

Causes, symptoms & treatments

Understanding cholesterol (leaflet)

How to lower cholesterol

Saturated fats (leaflet)