42 per cent of Britons have high cholesterol

More than 42 per cent of the UK's adult population are living with high cholesterol, the recent study by the Vitl reveals.

According to the data percentage of the UK adult population having high cholesterol has jumped from 39.65 per cent in 2019 to 42 per cent in 2020.

The average age was revealed to be 31 years old when one was first diagnosed with high cholesterol.

However, one third of those surveyed (34 per cent) have made changes to their lifestyle to ensure they keep their cholesterol levels as low as possible after they were made aware that high cholesterol is also known as ‘the silent killer’.

Almost 78 per cent of the people knew the reasons that have caused high cholesterol. 36 per cent responded obesity as the top reason, 16 per cent said poor diet was the cause, 12 per cent revealed lack of exercise has led to high cholesterol in their body, nine per cent termed smoking as the major reason and seven per cent said due to underlying health issues.

Christina Mamada, an in-house nutritionist at www.Vitl.com, commented, “The build-up of cholesterol and other fatty substances in the artery wall happens silently and progresses with age. Left untreated, it can lead to the creation of a fatty plaque in the artery, a condition called atherosclerosis. If the plaque bursts it can lead to a heart attack, a stroke or even heart failure.”

“Testing is the only reliable way to measure your cholesterol, whatever your age or health status, which is why we provide an at-home nutrition service which saves you from waiting for an appointment with your doctor and the results will go straight to your phone,” Mamada added.

The study was conducted by the team behind personalised vitamin and nutrition service, www.Vitl.com, who surveyed more than 2,350 UK adults over the age of 18 to discover just how many people are living with high levels of cholesterol.