Can high cholesterol be inherited?

Yes: Although what you eat affects your cholesterol, the tendency to a high cholesterol is inherited. Certain types result in extremely high cholesterol levels.

Yes: Your liver makes cholesterol and your intestines absorb it from what you eat. If you have a liver that makes tons of cholesterol and/or have intestines that are extremely efficient at absorbing it from your food, you can develop high cholesterol. These are things that you are born with that you can not fundamentally change about your body with today's technology.

Yes: While the vast majority of adults have high cholesterol acquired over time due to lifestyle factors (eg, poor diet, overweight, sedentary lifestyle), a significant minority of patients may have high, or even very high, cholesterol leves to due to genetic factors. Best of luck!