Obesity, eating saturated fat (mainly found in animal products - red meat), trans fats, packaged and full- fat dairy products can raise your cholesterol level. This, in turn, raises fatty deposits in blood vessels, a wax-like substance that blocks the free flow of blood and if neglected, can lead to a heart attack or stroke. People whose BMI is 30 or more are at high risk. Exercise helps boost your body's HDL, or "good," cholesterol while increasing the size of the partic