Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in the walls of cells in all parts of the body. The body makes all the cholesterol it needs and uses it to make hormones, bile acids, vitamin D and other substances.
You might have heard your doctor talk about good and bad cholesterol. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) is called the “bad” cholesterol because it carries cholesterol to tissues, including the arteries. The higher the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood, the greater your risk for heart disease. High density lipoprotein, or HDL, is called the “good” cholesterol because it takes cholesterol from tissues to the liver, which removes it from the body. If you don’t have enough HDL cholesterol, it increases your risk for heart disease.
A variety of factors can affect cholesterol levels. Here are three steps you can take:
• Reduce the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet.
• Lose weight. It can help lower your LDL and total cholesterol levels, as well as raise your HDL.
• Get physical. Just 30 minutes of exercise each day can help lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol levels.
Age and gender also affect cholesterol, but you can’t change them. . As people get older, their cholesterol levels rise. Before the age of menopause, women generally have lower total cholesterol levels than men of the same age. After the age of menopause, women’s LDL levels tend to rise. Your genes also partly determine how much cholesterol your body makes. High blood cholesterol can run in families.
