Risks of overweight to health are pretty well documented by this point. Many if not most people have heard news about the damage that too much weight can cause to the body's functioning. These warnings typically emphasize damage to internal organs however, and don't spend a great deal of time on how overweight can affect the muscular skeletal region of the body. The fact of the matter is however overweight stress can have a profound and immediate impact on how a person is able to function.

When considering internal bodily functions, one of the major risks in being overweight is the development of high cholesterol. The term high cholesterol is actually a bit vague since cholesterol is fairly wide ranging, and not all cholesterol is harmful. In truth, cholesterol is found in the cells of all tissue and cholesterol is required in the building and development of cells. The human body wouldn't develop or function as normal without the presence of cholesterol. When discussing cholesterol that adversely affects health, the term that's really being referred to is a form of cholesterol found in the blood stream.

Lipids, or fat, in the blood stream are made up of cholesterol to a considerable degree. Though it's a rather complex medical explanation when considered in specifics, essentially the cholesterol that makes up the lipids in the blood is carried by proteins, one of which is referred to as low-density lipoproteins or LDL. LDL is often referred to as bad cholesterol because of an association with artery disease. The higher the levels of LDL, the higher the chances for circulatory problems including heart disease and stroke. High levels of LDL then is what's really meant by references to high cholesterol.

High LDL levels can be an inherited trait, but are just as likely if not more likely to be brought about by diet. People who eat foods heavy in saturated fats in particular are more inclined to have high LDL levels than people who consume only moderate or small amounts of saturated fats. While overweight isn't exclusively a result of a high fat diet, high fat diets will certainly put extra weight on the typical person's frame over time. Irrespective of whether it's caused specifically by diet or by something else, overweight people typically have LDL levels that are higher than people who aren't overweight.

It's clear why one should be concerned about elevated LDL levels: high levels of LDL are strongly associated with heart disease. This is frequently why routine physical examinations include a blood exam that checks for LDL levels. A person who's both overweight and has elevated LDL should be encouraged to engage in weight loss. The good news is that weight loss is correlated with lower LDL levels. It's one more way that losing weight improves one's health outlook.