HDLs and LDLs

• Cholesterol

  A fat-like substance made by your liver and also comes from foods you intake that is then packaged into particles called lipoproteins
• Cholesterol


  • Your body needs it to make hormones, vitamin D, and a substance that helps you digest food called bile
• LDL (Low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol


  Also known as "bad" cholesterol
• LDL cholesterol


  1. Travels through your bloodstream delivering cholesterol to the cells that need it

  2. If your body has too much LDL, it can build up in the walls of your arteries

  3. LDL and other substances in your artery wall form a fatty deposit called plaque

  4. Over time, plaque can narrow the artery and reduce blood flow

  5. LDL carries cholesterol into the plaque
• Plaque buildup in coronary arteries


  Causes coronary artery disease and increases your risk of a heart attack
• Plaque buildup in carotid arteries


  Reduces blood flow to your brain and increases the risk of a stroke
• HDL cholesterol


  1. Helps remove excess cholesterol from your cells, tissues, and from plaque in your blood vessels

  2. HDL returns the excess cholesterol to your liver, which removes it from your body
• HDL is called the "good" cholesterol