Final answer:
High cholesterol can be attributed to an unhealthy lifestyle, genetic factors like familial hypercholesterolemia, and other non-modifiable risk factors such as age and gender, all of which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Step-by-step explanation:
Factors contributing to high cholesterol levels include family history, genetics, age, familial hypercholesterolemia, and gender. An unhealthy lifestyle, characterized by eating foods high in bad fats like saturated and trans fats, lack of physical activity, and smoking, can significantly elevate cholesterol levels, particularly LDL (bad) cholesterol while reducing HDL (good) cholesterol. These factors, along with others such as obesity and high blood pressure, increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Genetics play a role as well; for example, Familial hypercholesterolemia is an inherited form of high cholesterol that affects lipid levels. Monitoring diet and lifestyle, including eating habits, physical activity, smoking cessation, and maintaining a healthy weight, is essential for managing cholesterol.