What is cholesterol and why might it be an issue? I had no idea when my doctor told me my cholesterol was high what that meant or what to do about it. So I went to WebMD, my online experts.
WebMd says, “A high level of cholesterol in the blood doesn’t have obvious symptoms, but it can increase your risk for conditions that do have symptoms, including angina (chest pain caused by heart disease), high blood pressure, stroke, and other circulatory ailments.” They go on to say, “Cholesterol isn’t all bad. In fact, cholesterol is an essential fat. It provides stability in every cell of your body.
HDL cholesterol is the well-behaved “good cholesterol.” This friendly scavenger cruises the bloodstream. As it does, it removes harmful bad cholesterol from where it doesn’t belong. LDL cholesterol is often called the “bad” cholesterol because it collects in the walls of your blood vessels, raising your chances of health problems like a heart attack or stroke.