London, Dec 29 (IANS): While we all love to binge on rich, palatable Christmas meals, its consumption in large quantities may boost cholesterol levels, researchers have warned.

The study showed that right after the Christmas break, butter and cream in Christmas foods boost cholesterol levels more than assumed and that levels are 20 per cent higher than in the summers (May to June).

"Our study shows strong indications that cholesterol levels are influenced by the fatty food we consume when celebrating Christmas. The fact that so many people have high cholesterol readings straight after the Christmas holiday is very surprising," said Anne Langsted, from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

For the study, the researchers included 25,764 individuals.

Findings, published in the journal Atherosclerosis, showed that the risk of having elevated cholesterol is six times higher after the Christmas break.

People who already have high cholesterol should perhaps be even more alert during the Christmas holidays, the team suggested.

"For individuals, this could mean that if their cholesterol readings are high straight after Christmas, they should consider having another test taken later on in the year," said Signe Vedel-Krogh, researcher from the varsity.

Excess cholesterol in the blood is linked to a greater risk of developing heart attacks and stroke which is a leading cause of death worldwide, the study noted.