Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in the fats (lipids) in our blood. It is manu-factured in the liver and also obtained from consuming saturated and trans fats. Cholesterol is not all bad—the body requires it to produce sex hormones, maintain cell membranes, and for a healthy nervous system.
Aside from diet, cholesterol levels can be elevated by family history, lack of activity, and liver disorders, and cholesterol consumption increases the risk of heart disease.
As with fats, there is good and bad when it comes to cholesterol. The good cholesterol is HDL (high-density lipoproteins) and the bad is LDL (low-density lipoproteins). LDL cholesterol can build up in the artery walls of the brain and heart, narrowing the passageways for blood fl ow, a process known as atherosclerosis, the precursor to heart disease and stroke.
HDL cholesterol is called good cholesterol because it picks up the LDL deposited in the arteries and transports it to the liver to be broken down and eliminated.
To lower LDL and raise HDL levels, exercise regularly, minimize saturated fats, avoid trans fats, and don’t smoke (smoking lowers HDL).