Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in our blood. It's essential and has many good uses – it's needed to make hormones and vitamin D in the body. But we only need a small amount. Too much cholesterol in the blood can increase the risk of heart disease.

We measure cholesterol through a blood test. The average level of total blood cholesterol in Australian adults is about 5.5 mmol/L4, which is one of the highest levels in the world5. 51% of Australian adults have cholesterol levels higher than recommended6 and most of us would benefit from lower cholesterol levels.

A major contributor to high cholesterol in Australia is a poor diet. Saturated fats are known to raise blood cholesterol levels and many foods, such as fatty meats, full cream dairy products, biscuits, cakes, pastries, fried takeaways and some snack foods are high in saturated fats. However, there are many tasty foods that have no effect on blood cholesterol and some that actually lower blood cholesterol. To find out more about these foods, download the 'Heart to Heart' booklet: A simple guide to lower cholesterol through diet and lifestyle.

Cholesterol in the blood comes in two main forms – which are often called 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol.

People with high cholesterol usually have high levels of 'bad' LDL cholesterol in their blood.

Simple cholesterol tests estimate your 'total' cholesterol whereas more complete tests provide additional information about total, LDL and HDL cholesterol. Your doctor can organise these tests, check for other risk factors and give you detailed advice. An Accredited Practising Dietitian can provide you with tailored dietary advice to improve and manage your cholesterol.

4 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2006. Australia's health 2006. AIHW cat. no. AUS 73. Canberra: AIHW.

5 J Mackay, G Mensah, Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke. World Health Organization. Geneva, 2004

6 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2004. Heart, stroke and vascular diseases—Australian facts 2004. AIHW Cat. No. CVD 27. Canberra: AIHW and National Heart Foundation of Australia (Cardiovascular Disease Series No. 22).