High cholesterol puts people at risk of getting cardiovascular disease (CVD) or coronary heart disease (CHD). And cholesterol-lowering drugs like Zocor exist to reduce this risk. That is why Zocor is one of the most widely-sold drugs in the global market today. Careful dieting and exercise are still the best ways to lower cholesterol levels in the body, but sometimes these are not enough, and medication like Zocor become invaluable in facilitating the process.

High cholesterol is a condition that affects one in every five hundred people. This frequency of occurrence is due in a large part to the genetic nature of the disease. If your parents or your grandparents had high cholesterol or blood pressure, chances are that you, your siblings and your offspring might have it, too. Even if you lead a healthy lifestyle, you may experience problems keeping your cholesterol levels in check because of your genes, and this is where medication like Zocor comes in.

Lifestyle choices also play a big part in the increase of cholesterol levels; people who smoke and drink heavily are more in sight of life with high cholesterol. Alcohol, in particular, has been known to increase triglyceride, which is a kind of fat stored in our body. People with high triglyceride levels are more prone to developing cholesterol imbalance, thyroid disorders, insulin resistance, obesity and liver disease. It is not a given that people with a high triglyceride condition - also known as hypertriglyceridemia - will also have cholesterol problems, although it is likely that a high triglyceride count will eventually result in high cholesterol, as well.

Similarly, cholesterol and blood pressure are different, although they are often related. That is to say, patients with high cholesterol also sometimes have high blood pressure, or at least they run the risk of developing high blood pressure if the cholesterol imbalance remains untreated. A study done by the American Heart Association in 2005 reveals that men who have high total cholesterol are more likely to develop hypertension, or high blood pressure, than men whose blood cholesterol levels are still well within normal.

People often mistake high cholesterol and high blood pressure, because both conditions have been known to lead to heart disease. If you need to understand the dfference, you need only look at the methods of finding your cholesterol count and blood pressure. The body's total cholesterol count is found through a comprehensive blood test. On the other hand, blood pressure is found simply by using a sphygmomanometer - the familiar measuring device commonly found in clinics and hospitals.

If your body shows an overall cholesterol count of around 200, or an unnaturally high amount of high-density lipoprotein (HDL - also known as "bad" cholesterol) and/or a low incidence of low-density lipoprotein (LDL - the "good" cholesterol), you are said to have high cholesterol or hypercholesterolemia. If your blood pressure is higher than 140/90, then you have exceeded the "safe" limits and are said to have high blood pressure or hypertension. Normal blood pressure should only read 120/80. It is said that one in three American adults have hypertension, and nine out of ten Brits are in danger of becoming hypertensive.

Lowering your cholesterol may be the key to lowering your triglyceride and blood pressure levels as well. Observe healthier living conditions and take your Zocor regularly.