Not being active enough
Physical activity directly helps to reduce your cholesterol and can help reduce your risk of heart and circulatory disease.
Exercise can also help you control your weight, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and improve your mental health.
Find activities you enjoy and try to do at least two and a half hours of exercise every week.
Smoking
Smoking can directly lead to high cholesterol levels, so quitting as soon as you can is extremely important to reduce your risk.
The BHF explains: “The chemicals in cigarettes make the walls of your arteries sticky and this causes fatty material to stick to the walls.
“The fatty material can begin to clog your arteries and reduce the space for blood to flow properly.”
If the arteries that carry blood to your heart get clogged, it can lead to a heart attack, and if the arteries that carry blood to your brain get clogged, it can lead to a stroke.