What is blood cholesterol and how does it affect heart disease risk?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in all parts of your body. It helps make cell membranes, some hormones, and vitamin D. Cholesterol in your blood comes from two sources: your body makes it and from the food you eat. Your liver makes all the cholesterol your body needs. Over a period of years, extra cholesterol and fat circulating in the blood are deposited in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart. These deposits make the arteries narrower and narrower. As a result, less blood gets to the heart and the risk of heart disease increases. Cholesterol travels in the blood in packages called lipoproteins. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) carries most of the cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol packaged in LDL is often called “bad” cholesterol, because too much of it can lead to cholesterol buildup and blockage in the arteries. Another type of cholesterol, which is packaged in high density lipoprotein (HDL), is known as “good” cholesterol. That is because HDL helps remove
