What Increases Your Lipids? Factors You Need to Know

December 1, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in three American adults has high cholesterol. This elevated level of fat-like substances, or lipids, in the bloodstream is primarily influenced by dietary choices, genetics, and lifestyle habits. Understanding what increases your lipids is the first step toward effective management and prevention of serious health complications, such as heart disease and stroke.

Quick Summary

Lipid levels can be raised by unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, and smoking. Genetics, certain medications, and underlying medical conditions like diabetes also play significant roles. These factors lead to increased LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, impacting cardiovascular health.

Key Points

Dietary Habits: High consumption of saturated and trans fats (found in red meat, fried foods, and processed baked goods) and excess sugar can significantly increase unhealthy lipid levels.
Lifestyle Factors: A sedentary lifestyle, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, and obesity are major contributors to elevated LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while often reducing beneficial HDL.
Genetic Predisposition: Inherited conditions like Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) and polygenic factors can cause extremely high lipid levels, independent of diet and exercise.
Underlying Medical Conditions: Diseases such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, chronic kidney disease, and liver disorders can disrupt lipid metabolism and increase cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Medications: Certain medications, including corticosteroids, diuretics, beta-blockers, and some birth control pills, can cause an increase in lipids as a side effect.
Age and Sex: Lipid levels naturally tend to rise with age, and hormonal changes after menopause can specifically cause an increase in women's LDL cholesterol.

Diet and Lifestyle Factors

For many individuals, diet and lifestyle are the most common and controllable causes of elevated lipid levels, including "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides. The choices you make daily can significantly impact your lipid profile.

Unhealthy Diet

Your food intake directly affects your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. A diet high in certain fats and sugars can trigger the liver to produce more lipids. The most significant culprits include:

Saturated Fats: Found in fatty cuts of red meat, full-fat dairy products like cheese and butter, and tropical oils such as coconut and palm oil. Saturated fat intake is a major driver of increased LDL cholesterol.
Trans Fats: Often found in fried foods, commercial baked goods (cookies, cakes, pastries), and some margarines. Trans fats not only raise your LDL cholesterol but also lower your "good" high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
Excess Sugar and Refined Carbs: Consuming too many simple sugars and refined carbohydrates, such as those in sugary drinks and white bread, can lead to elevated triglycerides.

Sedentary Lifestyle

Lack of physical activity is a major contributor to unhealthy blood lipid levels. A sedentary lifestyle often leads to weight gain and can reduce HDL cholesterol, which helps remove cholesterol from your arteries. Regular exercise, on the other hand, helps raise HDL levels and can help manage weight, thereby improving your overall lipid profile.

Smoking and Alcohol

Both smoking and excessive alcohol consumption negatively affect your lipid levels. Cigarette smoking damages blood vessel walls and lowers HDL cholesterol. Heavy drinking can increase total cholesterol and, more significantly, raise triglyceride levels.

Obesity

Carrying excess weight, particularly around the midsection, can significantly increase lipid levels. Obesity is often linked to higher LDL and total cholesterol, and lower HDL. It also impacts how the body makes and removes cholesterol from the blood.

Medical and Genetic Causes

Beyond lifestyle, several non-controllable factors can also increase your lipids. These include inherited conditions and other underlying medical issues.

Genetics and Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Your genes play a major role in determining how your body processes cholesterol. Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disorder that causes extremely high LDL cholesterol levels from birth, dramatically increasing the risk of early-onset heart disease. While FH is a specific monogenic disorder, many cases of high lipids are polygenic, influenced by multiple genes combined with environmental factors.

Other Medical Conditions

Various health problems can disrupt lipid metabolism and lead to increased levels. These include:

Diabetes: Poorly controlled blood sugar levels in people with diabetes can result in high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol.
Hypothyroidism: An underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) can cause elevated LDL cholesterol.
Chronic Kidney Disease: Impaired kidney function can lead to dyslipidemia, including increased triglycerides and reduced HDL.
Liver Disease: Certain liver conditions can disrupt lipid transport and metabolism.

Medications

Some prescription drugs can have the side effect of raising lipid levels. It's important to discuss any concerns with your doctor if you are taking medications such as:

Corticosteroids
Diuretics (water pills)
Beta-blockers
Certain oral contraceptives
Antiretrovirals for HIV

Impact of Aging and Sex

As we get older, cholesterol levels naturally tend to rise. Hormonal changes associated with aging also play a role. For women, LDL levels often increase after menopause as estrogen levels decline.

Lifestyle and Medical Risk Factors Comparison Table


Factor	Impact on LDL Cholesterol	Impact on Triglycerides	Control Level	Notes
Diet (Saturated/Trans Fats)	High increase	Moderate increase	High	Directly influenced by food choices.
Diet (Sugar/Refined Carbs)	Low effect	High increase	High	Contributes to elevated triglycerides.
Lack of Exercise	Moderate increase	Moderate increase	High	Can lower protective HDL levels.
Obesity	High increase	High increase	High	Especially weight around the abdomen.
Smoking	Moderate increase	Moderate increase	High	Significantly lowers HDL.
Excess Alcohol	Moderate increase	High increase	High	Varies by individual and intake.
Genetics (FH)	Very high increase	Variable	Low	An inherited condition that requires medical management.
Diabetes	Variable	High increase	Moderate to High	Good glycemic control helps manage lipids.
Hypothyroidism	High increase	Low effect	Moderate to High	Treating the underlying condition is key.
Medications (e.g., Corticosteroids)	Variable	Variable	Low	Doctor can often adjust dosage or medication.

Conclusion

High blood lipid levels are a multifaceted health issue with a wide range of potential causes, from daily dietary and lifestyle choices to inherent genetic factors and underlying medical conditions. While some risk factors, such as genetics, cannot be changed, many others are modifiable, offering a clear path toward managing and preventing dangerously high cholesterol and triglyceride levels. By making conscious efforts to improve diet, increase physical activity, maintain a healthy weight, and quit smoking, individuals can take significant control of their lipid health. Furthermore, working closely with a healthcare provider to address any medical conditions or review medications is crucial for comprehensive lipid management. A proactive approach to understanding and controlling the factors that increase your lipids is essential for protecting your cardiovascular health and overall well-being. For more information on managing your cholesterol, you can review resources from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Frequently Asked Questions

While some dietary cholesterol comes from animal products, research shows that consuming high amounts of saturated and trans fats is a more significant cause of elevated LDL ("bad") cholesterol than the cholesterol in food itself.

Regular exercise is crucial for heart health and can help increase HDL ("good") cholesterol and lower triglycerides. However, it's most effective when combined with a heart-healthy diet and weight management. Exercise alone may not be enough to significantly lower high LDL levels.

High cholesterol can be a result of both genetics and lifestyle. Some people have a genetic predisposition, such as familial hypercholesterolemia, which causes very high levels regardless of lifestyle. However, for most, lifestyle factors like diet and exercise play a major role.

Several medical conditions can increase lipid levels, including diabetes, an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), chronic kidney disease, certain liver diseases, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Excessive alcohol consumption can increase total cholesterol and, in particular, significantly raise triglyceride levels. Limiting alcohol intake is recommended for managing healthy lipid levels.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is often called "bad" cholesterol because it can lead to plaque buildup in the arteries. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the "good" cholesterol because it helps remove excess cholesterol from the bloodstream.

Yes, certain medications, including corticosteroids, diuretics, beta-blockers, and some hormonal birth control pills, can potentially raise lipid levels. Your doctor can help determine if this is the case and adjust your treatment if needed.