Cholesterol is a type of lipid required for building healthy cells in the body. When the cholesterol levels pass a certain threshold, they can lead to serious health risks that can also turn fatal if left unchecked. The effects of high cholesterol may not be evident or even immediate, but it can lead to fatalities in the long run. Some complications of following a high-cholesterol diet can be treated or prevented.

Yet it is important to clearly understand what exactly these are before taking action against them. The following are all consequences of following an unhealthy dietary lifestyle:

1. Atherosclerosis
This refers to the build-up of cholesterol, calcium, fats, or other substances inside the arteries. Blood vessels get narrow and harden, reducing, and sometimes even restricting, blood flow, which can turn fatal. Sometimes, atheroma formed due to such buildups can rupture and cause blood clots that can have serious effects on the body. Complications due to atherosclerosis can also lead to heart attacks and strokes.

2. Peripheral vascular diseases
Similar to how blocked arteries can lead to heart attacks and strokes, they can lead to peripheral vascular diseases that result in certain cases with amputation of limbs. People who smoke significantly increase their chances of developing such peripheral vascular diseases.

3. Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
This is a stroke that lasts for a short period. In the case of TIA, the blood supply to a part of the brain is cut off momentarily. The symptoms of TIA include numbness on a side of the body, difficulty walking, trouble seeing, or even loss of balance. These symptoms last only for a short period and can also go unnoticed sometimes. This is dangerous since it is a warning for a serious problem that is going unnoticed.

4. Obesity
A high-cholesterol diet will include large amounts of trans fats, which may lead to obesity and other complications that may arise due to obesity. Obesity causes high blood pressure, increases the chances of developing cancer, and accelerates the risk of becoming diabetic. Fried and packaged foods are the major causes of obesity and are also responsible for high cholesterol due to the high proportion of unhealthy fats that are present.

5. Sedentary lifestyle
A sedentary lifestyle might be detrimental to the life of certain people, and unhealthy or high-cholesterol diets usually lead to obesity. This, in turn, causes general fatigue and lethargy due to high cholesterol levels in the system and promotes a sedentary lifestyle. People then tend to become unproductive and fall into a vicious cycle of unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle.

The complications of a high-cholesterol diet are linked to each other in some way or the other. This means high cholesterol levels put a person at risk of developing many different diseases that can be both life-altering and life-threatening. The positive side is that cholesterol can be brought under control before serious damage is done.