What's The Difference Between 'good' And 'bad' Cholesterol?

When you get a cholesterol reading it is a combination of "good" and "bad" cholesterol. You need to know how much of each you have to truly assess your risk of heart disease.

Good cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein (HDL). It's seen as the "good" cholesterol because a lots of it seems to protect against heart disease. In contrast, low HDL cholesterol levels [less than 40 mg/dL] increases the risk of a heart attack. It's thought that HDL carries cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver. From the liver it gets passed into the bowels and out the body. It may be that HDL binds (chemically) to excess 'bad' cholesterol that would otherwise form plaque in arteries.

The main type of "Bad" cholesterol is low density lipoprotein (LDL). It seems to build up in the artery walls, forming a sort of "plaque" that can literally clog the arteries up (impeding blood flow). Plaque clots can also break off and cause all sorts of mayhem in the circulation system, including blocking blood flow in smaller vessels or to the heart.

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