Alot of factors are responsible for raising cholesterol levels. A diet with too much fats not necessarily from red meat or animal sources alone but fats from vegetarian sources also raises cholesterol. Vegetarian sources include refined vegetable oil when used in excess for cooking meals, coconut oil especially which has high saturated fat content, fried and processed foods, nuts and dry fruits when taken in excess, foods such as heavy sweets and desserts with milk cream, butter, clarified butter, whole eggs, high fat sauces like Alfredo sauce and salad dressings like mayonnaise etc all contribute to high cholesterol when taken in excess. A diet lacking in fibre rich foods like fruits, vegetables as raw salads, whole grains and beans also leads to high cholesterol. Sometimes chronic emotional stress also increases cholesterol levels. Last but not the least, high cholesterol tends to run in families and can be due to genetic reasons too. Even if high cholesterol is hereditary, one must not ignore it and controlling diet and increasing physical activity helps alot in reducing the risk of heart disease. Hope this will help you in finding out the real cause.