Because of the outpouring of news articles pertaining to health and longevity, the word "cholesterol" may sound like a bad word to anyone who's not in the medical field. However, cholesterol itself is natural and necessary. It is a fat found in every cell of the body, and it enables normal body functions. Only a certain type of cholesterol is dangerous when it is at high numbers in the body.
Function
Cholesterol is a waxy substance produced by the liver that is needed to carry out many functions, including the creation of vitamin D and some hormones, building of cell walls and creation of bile salts that enable fat digestion, according to the Nemours Foundation. Although cholesterol is a necessary substance, the amount produced by the human liver--about 1,000mg--is sufficient enough that no dietary intake is required. However, people typically consume about 150 to 250mg of cholesterol in their daily diets.
Types
Cholesterol must combine with certain proteins to travel through the bloodstream to different areas in the body. When cholesterol combines with a protein, it creates something known as a lipoprotein. Two significant lipoproteins are called high-density lipoproteins, or HDL, and low-density lipoproteins, or LDL. LDL is considered "bad" cholesterol because it is more likely to clog blood vessels, according to the Nemours Foundation. HDL, often referred to as "good" cholesterol, transports cholesterol from blood vessels and transports it to the liver for processing and eventual removal from the body.
High Cholesterol
High cholesterol is a significant controllable risk factor for stroke, coronary heart disease and heart attack, according to the American Heart Association. When a person has too much LDL cholesterol circulating through his body, it combines with other substances to form a thick and hard deposit known as plaque, which can cause arteries to narrow and become inflexible, a condition called atherosclerosis. If a clot forms in the blood and his narrow, inflexible arteries aren't able to let it pass through, a person can suffer a stroke or heart attack.
Risk Factors
Consuming too many foods that are high in cholesterol, trans fat and saturated fat can lead to high levels of LDL cholesterol, but diet isn't the only risk factor. Other risk factors include being overweight, being genetically predisposed to high cholesterol or heart disease and being an older adult, according to the Nemours Foundation.
Lowering Cholesterol
Although some factors such as genetic predisposition are unalterable, you can take many steps to prevent high cholesterol or lower existing high cholesterol levels. First, the American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 300mg of cholesterol every day, not allowing fat intake to make up any more than 30 percent of your total daily calories, not allowing saturated fat to make up more than 10 percent of your total daily calories and not allowing trans fats to make up more than 1 percent of your total daily calories. Other methods of protecting yourself against high cholesterol include not smoking and getting plenty of aerobic exercise on a regular basis.
