Foodie Friday: What Cholesterol Means For Your Body

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that travels in your blood through the blood vessels. When you have high cholesterol, it builds up in the walls of the blood vessels. This makes the vessels narrower. Blood flow decreases. You are then at greater risk for having a heart attack or a stroke. Good and bad cholesterol Lipids are fats. Blood is mostly water. Fat and water don't mix. So our bodies need lipoproteins (lipids inside a protein shell) to carry the lipids. The protein shell carries its lipids through the bloodstream. There are two main kinds of lipoproteins: LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is known as "bad cholesterol." It mainly carries cholesterol. It delivers this cholesterol to body cells. Excess LDL cholesterol will build up in artery walls. This increases your risk for heart disease and stroke. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is known as "good cholesterol." This protein shell collects excess cholesterol that LDLs