Cholesterol is a type of fat or lipid found in the blood. It’s manufactured by the liver and is a critical building block of cell walls, hormones, and digestive juices.

Increased levels of cholesterol lead to accumulations of it in the blood vessels and make it difficult for the blood to flow through the arteries. This results in a condition called atherosclerosis and may cause heart attacks when enough oxygen-rich blood fails to reach the heart.

A decreased blood flow to the brain due to atherosclerosis can cause a stroke. A high level of cholesterol can cause heart diseases and strokes. It leads to a high blood pressure and causes diabetes too.

Kinds of cholesterol
There are two kinds of cholesterol:
1.LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or Bad cholesterol is the one associated with increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes by causing atherosclerosis.
2. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) or Good cholesterol helps in reducing the risks of heart attacks, heart diseases, and strokes.
High levels of LDL cholesterol doesn’t produce any symptoms as such. Adults are advised to get their levels tested at least once every five years. Lipid profile test or lipid panel test is the blood test associated with testing cholesterol levels.

Causes of high LDL
The most important cause for a high LDL cholesterol level in the blood is high amounts of saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol in the diet. A high level of LDL is common among people who are fat or obese.
Being overweight also reduces the HDL or good cholesterol level in the blood. Lack of physical activities also lowers good cholesterol or HDL level. Your age also plays a role as far the levels of cholesterol is concerned. The levels of LDL starts increasing once you cross 20 years of age.

Genetic factors can also cause cholesterol levels to go up. If your family members have a high cholesterol level, then you’ll most likely have it as well.

A large waist circumference is another cause. A waist circumference of 40 inches or more in men and 35 inches in women can increase cholesterol levels. A diabetic person tends to have a high LDL and low HDL. Smoking reduces the amount of HDL in your blood.

How to reduce cholesterol?
Proper diet and exercise play a key role in maintaining high levels of HDL cholesterol and lowering LDL cholesterol in your blood. Being active and doing regular exercise and at the same time eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and low-fat foods will increase HDL cholesterol and is used for high LDL cholesterol treatment. In addition to this, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking will reduce cholesterol levels further.
Many medicines are also available to lower LDL levels in the blood, though most of them also have some or the other kind of side effects. Taking medicines for reducing LDL levels is advisable only for considerably high levels of cholesterol in the blood and only under a doctor’s prescription.

Going on a holiday with your family includes indulging in various activities that all the members of the family would enjoy. While most people like sightseeing or finding out more about the place that they are visiting, one will also have to take care of the needs of the children so that they remain entertained. Adventure sports and theme parks are some of the best ways in which the entire family can have fun together. There are a number of theme parks all over the country where one can have a good time and relax as a family. It is a misnomer that only children can have a good time at such places. Most theme parks in America give the entire family a chance to indulge in various activities that can be fun for all age groups. Read on to find out more about our pick of the top theme parks of the country.

Disneyland: Walt Disney World, or Disneyland as it is popularly known, is one of the most magical places as per people who have been there! This is one of the best known theme parks that welcomes tourists from all over the world. Based on Florida, this theme park has been replicated in other parts of the world as well. One of the most popular attractions of this place includes the Magic Kingdom and Fantasy Land where castles of various Disney characters have been recreated. You can also enjoy beautiful fireworks at night along with various characters like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Little Mermaid and many others!

Epcot: This is a space station theme park in Florida, which caters to all age groups. At this theme park, the Mission: Space section is one of the most popular ones. This can be found in the Future World area, which is close to the World Showcase section. Apart from many futuristic rides, one can also enjoy world cuisine here. You can also test the limits of adrenaline by indulging in high speed efficiency tests for various vehicles and automobiles from around the world. Various kinds of innovations are showcased here, which makes it one of the most interesting and informative places as far as theme parks go.

Universal Studios: This is yet another gem from Florida. At Universal Studios, one can enjoy the 3D world of movies as they come alive with much action and excitement. The various light, sound and visual effects will absolutely floor you each and every time. Recently, this studio has launched the World of Wizardry, which celebrates the popular Harry Potter series. This makes it one of the most entertaining theme parks in America where you can indulge in the magical world of the movies. Here, you can also find people parading as the biggest stars from the yesteryears and the modern times as well. Watch out for a number of live shows that play at this theme park.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) classifies the 1099 form as a series of documents that can be referred to as information returns. Reporting all the income earned from various sources by every taxpayer in the country is mandatory, and a taxpayer can do this by filling the different types of 1099 tax forms which can also be availed under the IRS Free File.

What are the different types of 1099 form?

Form 1099-MISC for Self-employed: When you work for an employer and earn wages, the W2 form is used to report your annual earnings by your employer. However, the Form 1099-MISC is used if you are a contractor or a self-employed individual and if you receive payments over $600 in the span of a tax year.

Form 1099-DIV for Interests and Dividends: For returns on stocks, shares, mutual funds, and all other distributions or interest payments you receive throughout the financial year, the Form 1099-DIV or Form 1099-INT is provided to the taxpayer by their respective banks.

Form 1099-G for Income from the Government: The Form 1099-G is used by the Federal and state government agencies to report all the income that it pays out to taxpayers such as unemployment compensation or income tax refunds.

Form 1099-R for Retirees: The Form 1099-R is used to report all the distributions received from pension plans and all withdrawals made from the IRA account.

Form 1099-C for Cancelled Outstanding Debt: Among all the different types of form 1099, the form 1099-C is used by all those who benefit from the cancellation of outstanding debt by a creditor or a credit card company when your outstanding dues are waived by them. In such cases, the amount that is waived is treated as income and is taxed for.

The IRS website provides all the required information in a detailed format to those looking for more information and on how you can get the 1099 forms for free. You could fill most of these forms online, do an e-signature, and fax or email it to recipients and even share it with others who need to be in the loop. But the most essential step is to identify which of these different types of form 1099 are you eligible to fill. Alternately, you could also complete the form yourself. The only thing that needs not be ignored, however, is that the details must be completely legible and neatly filled in to avoid processing errors. It is important that you check your work thoroughly and before you start filing the 1099 form, ensure all relevant information on your contractors are readily available. After getting the forms and filling out the necessary information, send the forms by mail to the IRS. However, before sending it, keep a record of the forms you send in your tax files for future reference purposes.

You can check for more details on how you can get the 1099 form for free or how to avail the IRS Free File from their official website.