[Music] cholesterol is a waxy fat like substance in your blood that is made by your liver it's needed by your body to help build cells cholesterol also enters the body through what you eat animal-based foods like meat milk and eggs contain a lot of cholesterol two common forms of cholesterol are hdl and ldl hdl is called good cholesterol because it helps clear cholesterol from the body ldl is the bad cholesterol because it builds up in the walls of your arteries over time and can cause heart disease heart attacks and strokes there are no symptoms of high cholesterol so a blood test is the only way to detect it high cholesterol does run in families but there are other factors that increase cholesterol like poor eating habits with a diet high in saturated fats being overweight not exercising smoking and medical conditions like diabetes the best treatment for high cholesterol is to monitor your diet exercise manage your weight and stop smoking medications called statins can also help lower cholesterol levels talk with your doctor about getting your cholesterol checked and if medications are right for you