The term is becoming very popular in the health circle as more awareness is created about its potential dangers. Many people dread cholesterol even though they have a faint or no idea what it is or what it does. Others have only heard that it is implicated in a heart diseases and this elevates their interest in knowing what cholesterol is all about. So what really is it?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver and other cells and found in certain foods, such as food from animals, like dairy products, eggs, and meat.

Have you been diagnosed with high cholesterol? Is lowering your cholesterol a goal? The first step is to find out: What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is not a total evil and one kind of health-hating monster lurking around the corner to take away your life. The body actually needs some amount of this substance to maintain its holistic well-being. Its cell walls, or membranes, need cholesterol in order to produce hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat. But the body needs only a limited amount of cholesterol to meet its needs. It is too much cholesterol in the body that causes heart problems.
How Cholesterol Causes Heart Disease

When too much cholesterol is present, plaque (a thick, hard deposit) may form in the body’s arteries narrowing the space for blood to flow to the heart. Over time, this buildup causes atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) which can lead to heart disease.

How Cholesterol Causes Heart Disease

When too much cholesterol is present, plaque (a thick, hard deposit) may form in the body’s arteries narrowing the space for blood to flow to the heart. Over time, this buildup causes atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) which can lead to heart disease.
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Effect Of Plaque on a blood vessel

When not enough oxygen-carrying blood reaches the heart, chest pain called angina can result. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by total blockage of a coronary artery (the artery that supplies blood to the heart itself), the result is a heart attack. This is usually due to a sudden closure from a blood clot forming on top of a previous narrowing.
Types of Cholesterol

Cholesterol travels through the blood attached to a protein — this cholesterol-protein package is called a lipoprotein. Lipoproteins are classified as high density, low density, or very low density, depending on how much protein there is in relation to fat.

Low density lipoproteins (LDL): LDL, also called “bad” cholesterol, can cause buildup of plaque on the walls of arteries. The more LDL there is in the blood, the greater the risk of heart disease.

High density lipoproteins (HDL): HDL also called “good” cholesterol, helps the body get rid of bad cholesterol in the blood. The higher the level of HDL cholesterol, the better. If levels of HDL are low, the risk of heart disease increases.

Very low density lipoproteins (VLDL): VLDL is similar to LDL cholesterol in that it contains mostly fat and not much protein.

Triglycerides: Triglycerides are another type of fat that is carried in the blood by very low density lipoproteins. Excess calories, alcohol, or sugar in the body are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells throughout the body.

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