Cholesterol is a waxy, fatlike substance that your body needs to function normally. Cholesterol is naturally present in cell walls or membranes everywhere in the body, including the brain, nerves, muscles, skin, liver, intestines, and heart. Your body uses cholesterol to produce many hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat. It takes only a small amount of cholesterol in the blood to meet these needs. If you have too much cholesterol in your bloodstream, the excess may be deposited in arteries, including the coronary (heart) arteries, where it contributes to the narrowing and blockages that cause the signs and symptoms of heart disease.

• Hereditary: Increase in cholesterol is mainly a hereditary disorder.
• Excessive consumption of rich foods: It is also caused by taking rich foods and fried foods: excessive consumption of milk and its products like ghee, butter, and cream; white flour, sugar, cakes, pastries, biscuits, cheese, and ice cream; and non-vegetarian foods like meat, fish, and eggs.
• Smoking, Drinking and Stress: Other causes of increase in cholesterol are irregularity in habits, smoking and drinking alcohol. Stress has also been found to be a major cause of increased level of cholesterol.

• Lecithin: Lecithin, also a fatty food substance and the most abundant of the phospholipids, is beneficial in case of increase in cholesterol level. It has the ability to break up cholesterol into small particles which can be easily handled by the system. With sufficient intake of lecithin, cholesterol cannot build up against the walls of the arteries and veins. Lecithin also increases the production of bile acids made from cholesterol, thereby reducing its amount in the blood, Egg yolk, vegetable oils, wholegrain cereals, soyabeans, and unpasturised milk are rich sources of lecithin. The cells of the body are also capable of synthesizing it as needed, if several of the B vitamins are present.
• Vitamins: Vitamins B6, choline, and inositol are particularly effective in reducing the level of blood cholesterol. Wheat germ, yeast, or vitamin B extracted from bran contain high quantities of these vitamins. Vitamin E also elevates blood lecithin and reduces cholesterol. The patient should take liberal quantities of vitamin E-rich foods such as sunflower seeds, safflower, soyabean oils, butter, and sprouted seed and grains.
• Sunflower Seeds: Sunflower seeds are valuable in lowering high blood cholesterol. They contain a substantial quantity of linoleic acid which is the fat helpful in reducing cholesterol deposits on the walls of arteries. Substituting sunflower seeds for some of the solid fats like butter and cream will, therefore, lead to great improvement in health.
• Coriander Seeds: Regular drinking of a decoction of coriander seeds helps lower blood cholesterol. It is a good diuretic and helps stimulate the kidneys. It is prepared by boiling two tablespoons of dry seeds in a glass of water and straining the decoction after cooling. This decoction should be taken twice daily.
• Ishabgul: The herb ishabgul has been found beneficial in the treatment of high cholesterol level. The oil of the seeds of this plant should be given for lowering blood cholesterol. It contains fifty per cent linoleic acid. This oil is more active than safflower oil, and one teaspoon should be taken twice daily.
• Fibre: The amount of fibre in the diet also influences the cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol can be lowered by taking diets rich in fibres. The most significant sources of dietary fibre are unprocessed wheat bran, whole cereals such as wheat, rice, barley, rye; legumes such as potatoes, carrots, beet, and turnips, fruits such as mangoes and guavas; and leafy vegetables such as cabbage, lady’s fingers, lettuce and celery. Oat bran and corn bran are especially beneficial in lowering LDL cholesterol.
  

• Avoid rich foods: To reduce the risk of heart disease, it is essential to lower Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and increase the level of High density lipoprotein (HDL). This can be achieved by a change in diet and lifestyle. As a first step, foods rich in cholesterol and saturated fats, which lead to an increase in the LDL level, should be reduced to the minimum. These foods are eggs, organic meats, cheese, butter, bacon, beef and whole milk.
• Avoid food with animal origin: Avoid palm and coconut oil: Virtually all foods of animal origin, as well as two vegetable oils, namely, coconut and palm, are high in the saturated fats, and these should be replaced by polyunsaturated fats such as corn, safflower, soybean and sesames oils which tend to lower the level of LDL.
• Drink at least 10 glasses of water each day: Persons with high blood cholesterol level should drink at least eight to ten glasses of water every day, as copious drinking of water stimulates the excretory activity of the skin and kidneys. This, in turn, facilitates elimination of excessive cholesterol from the system.