Counting Cholesterol: How Often Should You Check Your Levels?

High cholesterol is a deadly condition because it increases the risk of having a heart attack or a stroke. Unfortunately, we meet too many people who underestimate their own risks, mainly because you can have high cholesterol without showing any symptoms.

Keeping an Eye on Cholesterol

We can check on cholesterol levels with a basic blood test. It is a routine procedure that gives us valuable information about your health and lets us know if your levels are in the safe range or not.

It is important to get tested regularly because our levels can change over time, usually in response to changes in our lifestyles. The CDC suggests that the average adult get tested once every four to six years. People who are especially likely to have problems with their cholesterol may need to check on it more often.

Children also need an occasional test, but most of them will be fine with just two tests. A single test between the ages of nine and eleven, followed by a second test after they turn seventeen. Every child is unique and some of them may need more testing, so it is always good to keep in touch with a medical professional who can provide guidance.

What Determines Your Cholesterol Level?

There are a variety of factors that can impact a person’s cholesterol. Some of them are outside of our control, but being aware of the problem makes it easier to manage it by working on other risk factors.

Men tend to have higher cholesterol levels than women, especially before menopause.Cholesterol levels tend to increase with age.Type 2 diabetes cuts down on good cholesterol and encourages bad cholesterol to build up.Genetic factors can encourage high cholesterol for people with a family history of it.

The good news is that there are also factors that we can control. It takes time and effor