Introduction

• According to the American Heart Association, cholesterol comes in both good and bad forms. However, an overall high total cholesterol can be unhealthy and may even put you at risk for developing serious complications such as heart disease. According to the National Vital Statistics Report, heart disease is the number one cause of death for both women and men in the United States.
  
  

Diet

• One of the major factors that can cause a high total cholesterol level is your diet. Certain foods that you choose to consume can contain higher levels of bad cholesterol than others. For example, foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables have really no cholesterol at all. Other foods, such as fast food burger or fried chicken, have high cholesterol content. As you consume high levels of cholesterol, the levels of cholesterol build up in your bloodstream. These levels can then be tested through a cholesterol blood test.
  
  

Activity

• Your activity level may also influence the levels of total cholesterol in your body. According to the Mayo Clinic, increasing your exercise levels both decreases the levels of LDL "bad" cholesterol in your bloodstream and also increases your HDL "good" cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is responsible for helping transport bad cholesterol out of the blood and to the liver, where it can be processed and eliminated from the body.
  
  

Weight

• Your overall weight may also be a factor in a high total cholesterol level. According to the Mayo Clinic, those who are obese (having a body mass index score of greater than 30) are at a much higher risk of having high cholesterol levels. This is because obesity influences all the factors that cause high cholesterol, such as diet and activity levels.
  
  

Genetics

• Genetics is slowly coming more to light in its role in high cholesterol levels. Your genetic makeup can determine a lot of factors about your body, ranging from metabolism to cell makeup. These factors can influence how your body handles cholesterol as well as its ability to regulate and rid cholesterol from the bloodstream. These traits are inherited and passed on from mother and father to their children.