To begin with, throughout the world, cholesterol levels (measured in the blood) vary widely. Generally, people who live in countries where blood cholesterol levels are lower, such as Japan, have lower rates of heart disease. Countries with very high cholesterol levels, such as Finland, have very high rates of coronary heart disease. However, some populations with similar total cholesterol levels have very different heart disease rates, suggesting that other factors also influence risk for coronary heart disease. High cholesterol is more common in men younger than 55 years and in women older than 55 years. The risk for high cholesterol is known to increases with age. Read the rest of this entry »