Much like any other disease, cardiovascular disease (CVD) typically affects people having one or more risk factors. Those include, among many others, increased age, tobacco use, high-blood pressure and obesity.

Another factor is high-blood cholesterol. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in cells and is a necessary ingredient to a healthy body. The problem lies in that the body can produce all the cholesterol it needs, which in turn makes it easy to take in unnecessary cholesterol through the foods we eat.

When someone is diagnosed with high-blood cholesterol, they are suffering from a condition in which far too much cholesterol has built up in the arteries of the body. Called plaque, this cholesterol build-up has few symptoms, but serious repercussions if left untreated. Fortunately, your blood cholesterol levels can be checked. If your total cholesterol level is 240, you are considered to be at high risk of CVD.