Having high cholesterol is no joke. It is also not uncommon. It is estimated that one person in 500 has this condition. As one gets older, one's risk of contracting high cholesterol also increases. Seven out of 10 people over the age of 45 are known to suffer from high cholesterol, and related problems. It is no wonder, then, that medicines like Lipitor are among the best-selling in the market. As a matter of fact, Lipitor is the number one selling drug in the entire world, garnering $12.9 billion in sales last year.

Lipitor is used to lower cholesterol in the body. But while generally effective in this regard, it is not a miracle drug: it cannot eliminate the risk of suffering from high cholesterol-related diseases, nor can it prevent one's cholesterol levels from shooting up due to certain unhealthy lifestyle choices.

What's the big deal about high cholesterol? Why are so many people afraid of it? Having high cholesterol itself may not be an issue for some - after all, it is possible to lead perfectly normal lives even with high cholesterol. However, if left untreated, an increased level of cholesterol could lead to cardiovascular disease, or CVD. This term refers to diseases of the heart and blood vessels. High cholesterol causes fatty deposits, called plaques, to clog up the arteries, resulting in a heart attack, an angina, or a stroke.

Doctors say that one has high cholesterol if there is an unnaturally high level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) - the so-called "bad" cholesterol. They may also say this if the patient has an uncommonly low level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good" cholesterol. The amount of "good" or "bad" cholesterol present in the body can be discovered through a blood test. Medicines like Lipitor act to lower the LDL count, as well as the overall cholesterol in the body.

Some people are more at risk of getting high cholesterol than others. People whose parents or grandparents had high cholesterol or high blood pressure problems, for example, run a bigger risk of having high cholesterol as well, than people whose predecessors didn't suffer these problems. Sometimes even if a person lives a healthy lifestyle, he or she will suddenly find that he or she suffers from a cholesterol imbalance. This is because the condition has been known to be genetic in nature.

However, lifestyle choices are notorious for raising the risk of CVD, for a person who already has high cholesterol. Smoking and drinking are especially known to raise the LDL, which is why it is recommended that people who are taking Lipitor refrain from drinking and smoking in excess - or, if possible, abstain from them altogether.

A healthy body attempts to lower one's cholesterol count naturally, but it is also possible that a person who has never had high cholesterol in his or her life will suddenly get it, due to excessive drinking and smoking. Cutting back in these activities would help more than any medication would in reducing "bad" cholesterol. However, one should not underestimate the power of Lipitor in helping speed the process along. There's a reason why it's the world's number one best-selling drug!