Cholesterol: Down with the Bad and Up with the Good

Talk about a love-hate relationship. Your body needs cholesterol to make essential hormones, cell membranes and brain and nerve tissues. To transport this fat through your bloodstream, your body turns cholesterol into good, high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), and bad, low-density lipoproteins (LDLs). HDLs act like scavengers, getting rid of excess cholesterol. LDLs promote fatty buildup in your arteries, which can cause heart disease, America’s number 1 killer.

That’s why it’s important to keep your cholesterol in check. Limit the saturated and trans fat in your diet, maintain a healthy weight and try to exercise on most days of the week. And remember, “H” stands for healthy, so your HDL levels should be high. “L” stands for lousy, so aim to keep your LDL levels low.