Cholesterol is made by our livers and is important to maintain healthy cells and to make hormones.
We also get cholesterol from diet: red meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products.
Low-density lipoproteins (LDL; “bad” cholesterol) is the type we want to lower. It transports cholesterol to tissues, while high-density lipoproteins (HDL; “good” cholesterol) transfer cholesterol from tissue to liver. HDL is the type we want to increase.
High levels of LDL eventually causes atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) which leads to heart attacks and strokes.
Atherosclerosis often starts slowly in childhood and progresses year after year. It usually begins with an injury to an artery’s lining caused by high blood pressure, tobacco, etc.
Cholesterol and other fats will then deposit at the damaged site and gradually form plaque, which impedes blood flow or breaks down and block arteries in important organs, like heart or brain.
Although in some people, genetics plays a role in high cholesterol, unhealthy lifestyle accounts for most of the cases.
There are prescription drugs and herbal supplements that help to lower cholesterol. However, for many of us, simple changes in lifestyle will benefit much.
To read the original article, click here. Also see Control Your Cholesterol (2) — Diet, (3)Â — Other Lifestyle Changes, and (4) — Other measures.