[Cholesterol Rates] How High Can They Go?

Blood levels of cholesterol, the fatty substance that can build up in your arteries, can go as high as 700. Yes, 700! But those who attain the 700 number have a rare genetic disorder—familial hypercholesterolemia—in which cholesterol levels are high, regardless of diet or exercise, according to Lynne Perry-Böttinger, MD, FACC, a board-certified clinical and interventional cardiologist in New Rochelle. According to the National Institutes of Health, only about one in 500 people in the country are so afflicted.