Most people know that high blood lipids can lead to heart disease. But many people are not aware that high blood lipids, too, can increase the risk of stroke. Blood lipids are the general term for the lipids contained in the blood, which mainly include cholesterol and triglycerides. Some older people think that high blood lipids means thick blood and high triglycerides, but this is not correct: in addition to high triglycerides, high blood lipids also include abnormal cholesterol indicators, and elevated cholesterol is the most important factor leading to cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol is mainly divided into HDL-C and LDL-C. HDL-C has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, and people are used to calling it “good cholesterol”; LDL-C, on the other hand, is attached to the blood vessel wall, and once it is excessive, it will lead to atherosclerosis, and then LDL-C, on the other hand, can adhere to the walls of blood vessels, and once excessive, it will lead to atherosclerosis and then cardiovascular diseases, so people call it “bad cholesterol”. So, how do high blood lipids and high cholesterol cause strokes? Increased blood lipids are deposited under the intima of blood vessels and cause atherosclerotic plaques, which accumulate in the arterial walls and narrow the lumen of the arteries, blocking the flow of blood to the appropriate area and causing strokes. The more “bad cholesterol” there is, the larger the atherosclerotic plaque becomes and the more severe the blockage. There is also a risk that unstable plaque will rupture or fall off, blocking the blood vessel in a short time, leading to acute myocardial infarction or stroke and endangering the patient’s life. Therefore, to prevent stroke, the first step is to control high blood lipids, but for a long time, people pay far less attention to high blood lipids, and many people think that high blood lipids do not need to be treated, which is a wrong concept. Increased blood lipids must be treated promptly. If you suffer from hyperlipidemia, you should follow a healthy diet. In addition to taking in rich fruits and vegetables, you should also pay attention to eating less animal fat, saturated fat and cholesterol; and perform moderate exercise or physical work to maintain your ideal weight. If your blood lipids are still not up to standard, you need to take lipid-lowering medication to treat the disease.