What are HDL & LDL Cholesterol??
If you are diagnosed with high cholesterol it's important to understand what cholesterol is and why it's important to keep it under control. Cholesterol is a fat-like substance made by your liver and also comes from foods you intake that are then packaged into particles called lipoproteins your body needs cholesterol to make hormones vitamin D and a substance that helps you digest food called bile. In this article, we will discuss two types of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol also known as bad cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol also known as good cholesterol. LDL travels through your bloodstream delivering cholesterol to the cells that need it, if your body has too much LDL it can build up in the walls of your arteries LDL and other substances in your artery wall form a fatty deposit called plaque over time.
Plaque can narrow the artery and reduce blood flow LDL carries cholesterol into the plaque, this is why LDL is called the bad cholesterol commonplace this plaque can build up in your coronary arteries which are the blood vessels that feed your heart this plaque buildup causes coronary artery disease and increases your risk of a heart attack. Plaque buildup in other arteries such as the carotid arteries in your neck can reduce blood flow to your brain and increase the risk of a stroke your liver also makes high-density lipoprotein or HDL also known as good cholesterol. HDL helps remove excess cholesterol from your cells tissues and from plaque in your blood vessels this is why HDL is called the good cholesterol, HDL returns the excess cholesterol to your liver which removes it from your body if after reading this information you have questions about cholesterol or any medications you've been prescribed to help manage your high cholesterol speak with your health care provider it is important to take your medications as directed by your provider and report any side-effects you experience any.
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