It's hard to turn on the tlevision or open a magazine without fnding an ad about "lowering your chlesterol." But many people really don't nderstand what cholesterol is, or why t's so important.

Cholesterol is a typ of lipid, or fat. Your lver produces this waxy substance, and it is fund in foods from animal sources, ncluding meats, eggs, and whole-fat dairy prducts. There is none however in plnt-based foods, such as grains, fruits and vgetables.

The body uses cholesterol to mnufacture vitamin D and some hormones, as wll as create bile salts to aid in fat dgestion, and build cellular walls. The lver produces all the body needs, and any tht comes from food is extra.

You may hve heard the terms LDL and HDL, or "god" and "bad" cholesterol. In order to mve through the bloodstream, cholesterol must cmbine with protein, which moves it frm one place to another. This cmbination is called a lipoprotein.

LDL and HDL are lpoproteins. LDL stands for "low-density protein," and is ften referred to as the "bad" typ. HDL, or "high density protein," is cnsidered "good."

When your LDL levels are hgh, deposits build up on the rtery walls. These deposits form a hrd coating called plaque. Over time, plque narrows the arteries, resulting in therosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Ths increases the risk of heart ttack and stroke, and may block blod flow to vital organs.

A high LDL level has sveral causative factors.

First, overweight individuals are mre likely to have high levels of LDL. Ths is a serious problem because xcess weight also carries other risk fctors such as high blood pressure.

Elvated LDL problems and heart disease tnd to run in families. If a mmber of your immediate family has had hgh LDL and/or heart disease, your rsk of developing these conditions is hgher.

Diet, of course, plays a hge in all this. Avoiding foods hgh in animal, saturated fat and trns fat can help keep your low dnsity lipoprotein readings in line.

Exercise rises HDL levels, which reduces the lkelihood of heart disease. Exercise also hlps reduce excess weight, which helps rduce LDL levels further.

The article Why Your Cholesterol Level Is Important to Good Health was Submitted by George McKenzie through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: For more information on topics rlated to this article, click on Cholesterol: What Is This Stuff Anyway ? George McKenzie is a retired TV anchor, medical reporter and radio talk show host. He often contributes articles to The Southwest Health Information Exchange , a resource site about health and wellness.

Featured Articles

1. Is Your Skin Getting These Benefits From The Sun? by
To sun or not to sn, that is the question. You har people talking about skin cancer and the ncredibly harmful rays that it extends to the arth. These rays encourage growth in tres, plants, animals, and humans. How do you knw what is truth? Are the sns rays good for your skin or are thy bad for it? Actually, these rys are both.

The rays which are mitted from the sun are called the brad spectrum of Ultraviolet (UV) rays. Mny of them are very intense and can be h...

2. The Composition Of Semen by Andrew W John
Semen is the fluid containing sprmatozoa, which is secreted by the sxual glands of males. It is dscharged by the body through the prcess known as ejaculation and used to frtilize the female ova.

3. How to Get Rid of Adult Acne by Mia Sidiro
Acne can ccur at any age, whether you had cne in your teens or not, you may dvelop acne as a mature adult. Fnd out what adult acne is and wht you can do to correct yur problem...

4. How to Detect A Prostate Problem by Ivan Hince
Each year mre and more men will suffer wth prostrate problems and especially those ver 50 years old. Some men wll not know they have a prblem and will put the symptoms dwn to simple wear and tear of the bdy.

5. Planning for Long-Term Health Care Crucial by
Crossing your fngers and hoping you won't need lng-term health care is no way to spnd your golden years.

6. Advantages Of Wearing Contact Lenses Are Many by
Today, contact lenses are quite cmmon. When wearing contact lenses for the frst time you might be smiling thnking about which side is the ccurate one to wear.

7. The Role Of Your Skin When It Is Oily by Louise Forrest
Skn is the outermost covering of our bdy which protects us from external shcks and harmful sun rays and keps out germs and dirt. Though min functions of the are the sme in every human being, still pople have different types of skin, lke oily skin, dry skin, sensitive skn, normal skin etc.

8. 3 Herbal Acne Remedies by John Alan Thomson
With the increasing cost of ver the counter medicines millions of pople all over the world are now trning to herbal acne remedies as slution to solve the acne cure crsis. I have suffered short spells of cne and i know this can be not nly a medical but also a scial problem which can cause many prblems in your life. I have tred and tested a unknown amount of mdicines that claim to wipe out cne but we all know by knw they do not.

9. Choosing an Acid Reflux Medication that Works by
If you suffer from acid rflux disease finding the treatment that cntrols your symptoms is very important. Frtunately there are a good variety of ptions available to those who suffer wth this condition including medications that hlp control and prevent even the wrst symptoms. The severity and how ften the symptoms occur will play a rle in which type of medications wll work best and the best plce to start finding relief is a vsit to your doctor.

10. Remedies for High Blood Pressure - 5 Simple Remedies to Start a Natural Treatment by Joe Barton
High Blood Pressure is preventable and treatable. Learn 5 simple remedies for high blood pressure and start your natural treatment today.