Good And Bad Cholesterol?

Cholesterol. What is it and why do we need it?

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance our body needs for the following purposes: 

• Building healthy cells (red blood cell membranes of liver and brain cells (gray and white matter). 
• Ensuring the digestive process (cholesterol is needed to produce bile acids that break down fat and provide fat-soluble vitamins (e.g., vitamin D).
• Synthesis of key hormones for human health (testosterone, estrogen, progesterone and even cortisol).
• Functioning of the immune, reproductive, and nervous systems. All in all, the proper body functioning. 

Cholesterol comes partly from foods we consume (~20% of the total amount of cholesterol in the body). However, most of it is synthesized in the liver ~ 80% of endogenous cholesterol. Cholesterol is also produced in the adrenal cortex, testes, ovaries, and intestines, but in very small amounts. 

"Good" and "bad" cholesterol mean high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). 

There are several important types of lipoproteins involved in cholesterol transportation. The main ones are:

•  Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which transports cholesterol from the liver to the body's cells. It is often called "bad cholesterol". It carries cholesterol particles throughout the body and tends to accumulate on the walls of damaged blood vessels, making them less elastic and narrower. 
•  High-density lipoprotein (HDL) or "good" cholesterol, which absorbs an excess of cholesterol in the body and transports it to the liver for biliary excretion. These lipoproteins do not tend to deposit cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels (i.e., they do not cause plaque formation). 

When we talk about high cholesterol, we mean elevated levels of low and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). 

High levels of cholesterol can cause a build-up of fatty deposits in the blood vessels. Sometimes these deposits separate and create a clot, which, moving through the circulatory system to the heart or brain, can cause a heart attack or stroke. 

Early detection of high cholesterol levels is crucial, which is why you need to undergo cholesterol and lipid profile tests. 

When should I undergo cholesterol tests? 

For young people, the first test is usually performed between the ages of 17 and 19. Re-testing of adults with no heart disease risk factors is usually done every five years. 

The American Heart Association recommends undergoing cholesterol testing every 4-6 years for adults 20 years and older.

Written by Volodymyr Sydoruk, coach at Online Fitness Club.