Cholesterol can be a direct cause of coronary heart disease. Approximately 50% of adult Americans have high cholesterol and in 20% it is dangerously high.

We of course don't mean to scare anyone, but the paragraph above should indicate that this is an important topic. Our aim here is to educate, to give you the tools you need to have a healthy heart.

The image here sums up the cholesterol problem. The body needs cholesterol to function. Too much, however and you get the problem at right. Cholesterol begins as a soft, waxy substance that actually makes and strengthens cell walls, and helps to form some hormones. So you can see that cholesterol could not be eliminated altogether. But too much of a certain type of cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, can have serious consequences.

Low Density Lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol, when there is too much present in the blood stream can begin to build up on the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart and the brain. This leads to artherosclerosis or the build up inside the walls of the arteries that can, in time, block the entire vessel. When the vessel is blocked enough, the result is a heart attack, if the blockage is near the heart, or a stroke if the blockage is near the brain. So a high level of LDL cholesterol can be an indicator of heart disease or other serious problems.

The news about cholesterol is not all bad, though. High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol seems to actually remove cholesterol from the arteries and take it to the liver where it can be processed. This slows the growth of the blockages, or can reverse it, and therefore protects against heart disease.

Now that you know more about the dangers and benefits of cholesterol you can learn how your cholesterol levels relate to your diet. Regular exercise can also help you control your cholesterol levels. For more information please check our Heart Health page.