Good and Bad: HDL Cholesterol and LDL Cholesterol

Cholesterol is spoken of as if it were a dangerous poison lurking in our blood and waiting to kill us. That is simply not true. If you were to reduce the cholesterol in your body to zero, you wouldn't survive. Cholesterol is used to create the outer membrane of cells in all animals. In other words: you can't live without cholesterol, but too much of it can kill you.

Since cholesterol is an oily substance, it cannot mix freely with blood, which is water-based. Pure cholesterol in the bloodstream would turn to a solid. When cholesterol is released into the bloodstream, it combines with protein substances called lipids. These lipids help transport the cholesterol throughout the body.

What Does Bad cholesterol Do?

LDL cholesterol is called bad cholesterol because it causes fatty, waxy deposits on the walls of the blood vessels and in the heart itself. These cholesterol deposits restrict the free flow of oxygen-bearing blood through these vessels and can rob the heart's muscles of oxygen, causing tissue death. This tissue death is known as a heart attack.

How Does Good Cholesterol Help?

High density lipids or HDL cholesterol is carried to the liver, where it is disposed of through the body's waste management system. HDL cholesterol is known as good cholesterol. It can actually remove cholesterol deposits from the heart and blood vessels.

Are There Ways to Reduce Bad cholesterol?

Bad cholesterol can be lowered through a change in lifestyle. Regular exercise, losing weight and a low cholesterol diet all combine to keep the body's level of LDL cholesterol low. Of course there are people who begin with LDL cholesterol levels that are extremely high, and other people who have inherited genetic factors that keep LDL levels high. When diet and exercise are not enough to bring about a normal cholesterol level, doctors prescribe cholesterol medications to complete the job.

--M.A.D.