Throughout the United States, high cholesterol is a common issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , two in five American adults deal with the condition, putting them at increased risk of stroke and heart attack . Cholesterol is a waxy substance that circulates in your blood. It isn’t necessarily dangerous on its own ― we need cholesterol to help us build cells and make hormones . But too much of it can cause problems. Excess cholesterol in the blood, for example, is