HDL and LDL Cholesterol Explained

Despite the public at large being daily inundated by TV advertisements about different methods of how to lower their cholesterol levels, many still do not understand how to monitor their cholesterol levels or know the difference between good and bad cholesterol.

One such commercial is all too familiar: a middle-aged man on TV explaining how he never believed that he was a candidate for a heart attack. It had not even entered his mind that he could possibly have problems with his cholesterol because he always "took care of himself". But even while he exercised well and generally lived a life of moderation, high cholesterol levels were contributing to his risk of heart attack. It turns out his genetic makeup was just simply disposed to it. As a survivor, he now understands the importance of monitoring and controlling his cholesterol levels, and cautions others to be aware as well.

While these types of advertisements are primarily focused on promoting specific cholesterol-controlling medications, they also serve as a potential wake-up call for the general population. They encourage viewers to not only monitor their own cholesterol levels but to also take appropriate steps to prevent high cholesterol from contributing to heart disease or heart attack.

Basically, cholesterol is divided into two groups: good cholesterol, or HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and bad cholesterol, or LDL (low-density lipoprotein). The good cholesterol is aptly named because it assists the body in removing LDL from one's bloodstream. As a general rule of thumb, the higher one's level of HDL, the lower the risk of one has of having a heart attack.

High levels of bad cholesterol can be caused by diet, but most do not realize they can also be caused by genetic dispositions. That is why changes in diet alone will not result in significant lowering of bad cholesterol for everyone who experiences high LDL levels.

Routine cholesterol screening can be a very important tool in providing doctors the information necessary to combat high LDL levels in patients. While traditionally diet modifications are considered the first option in lowering high levels of bad cholesterol, medications such as Vasacor are in many instances prescribed in order to maintain the LDL at acceptable levels.

The good news is that the attention brought to the importance of cholesterol levels and cholesterol screenings has resulted in the lowering of cholesterol levels for many patients, adding many quality years to their life-spans.