It's been well documented by now that being overweight can lead to a variety of health problems, both internal and muscular skeletal. When mention of weight problems is made, it's fairly rare that problems to the external body or the muscular skeletal region are mentioned, but carrying excess weight on the body frame can lead to any number of physical stress injuries. If anyone should doubt this claim, they can tie a weight around their waist and observe the outcome.

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. What's really meant when discussing high cholesterol levels that compromise health is a form of blood cholesterol.

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. The term bad cholesterol refers to LDL because of LDL's connection to disease of the arteries. 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. Though overweight isn't necessarily from diets high in fat, diets high in fat consumed over time have a good chance of adding extra weight to a person's body frame. And whether diet is the main culprit or not, people who are overweight generally have higher levels of LDL than non-overweight people.

The reason for concern about high levels of LDL is quite clear: 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. Any person who is overweight and has high LDL levels will almost certainly be recommended to lose weight. 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.