Cholesterol Part 2: The blessing and the curse

Cholesterol is mostly well known for being the culprit behind heart disease and stroke, with the major two types of cholesterol (HDL and LDL) being either a "blessing" or a "curse". But setting that aside, what good is cholesterol? A lot! Understanding the purpose of cholesterol will help us appreciate why certain food and activity assists in the overall function it performs.

The blessing of cholesterol includes:

*The body makes cholesterol "naturally" (by itself) through the liver

*Transporting lipids (fats) in the blood

*Is found in every cell of our body, helping to maintain the integrity of our cells

*Known as the "great communicator", it assists in our cells working together for our benefit

The "good" cholesterol (HDL) performs the following:

*HDL assists in carrying the "bad" cholesterol back to the liver where it is reprocessed, removing the unwanted cholesterol, slowing the growth of dangerous plaque in the blood stream

*The "higher" the HDL the better it functions in protecting the heart against heart attack and stroke

The easiest way to remember the "good" cholesterol is to understand three things:

HDL = higher (is better), helper (removes plaque), hero (battles the bad)

The curse of cholesterol includes:

*Unhealthy diets cause our LDL to rise, increasing the risk of heart related diseases (heart attack/stroke)

*LDL (basically) puts the bad cholesterol which blocks our arteries back into our blood stream

The easiest way to remember the "bad" cholesterol is to remember this:

LDL = lower + less = best

Checking your cholesterol levels (HDL and LDL) is extremely important for your overall health. Typically, your doctor or even your local "urgent" care medical centers can give you a quick "cholesterol" blood test to determine where you are and what course of action you should take if your "levels" are not in a healthy range. You will be required to "fast" for up to twelve hours before taking the test (water diet only) to receive an accurate evaluation, usually receiving the results within 2-3 days later. From there, your doctor can better evaluate the course of action you should take if your levels are not healthy.