Cholesterol is necessary in the body. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that your body uses to make cell tissues, protect nerves and produce hormones. Lipoproteins are protein and fat molecules that absorb and carry cholesterol throughout the body. There are many types of lipoproteins and physicians use high-density and low-density lipoproteins along with cholesterol levels to assess risk of heart attack or other cardiac events.
Cholesterol
While cholesterol is essential for many processes, your liver produces all the cholesterol your body needs to perform these processes. Some foods you consume also convert to cholesterol causing excess cholesterol to circulate throughout the body. Excess cholesterol levels can end up deposited in tissues, organs and arteries. FamilyDoctor.org explains that increased cholesterol levels will increase risk of heart disease and coronary artery disease.
Lipoprotein
Because lipoproteins transport cholesterol, they are important in evaluating cardiac risk. There are several types of lipoproteins, including chylomicron, very-low-density lipoproteins, intermediate lipoproteins and low-density and high-density lipoproteins, according to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. High-density lipoproteins, or HDL, and low-density lipoproteins, or LDL, are most often associated with cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol-Related Lipoproteins
LDL is harmful to your body. It circulates through the body picking up cholesterol and carrying it to the organs, tissues and arteries where it can turn into plaque. Over time, plaque causes narrowing of the arteries and may cause blockages leading to a heart attack.
MayoClinic.com explains that HDL is helpful to the body. These lipoproteins work opposite of the low-density lipoproteins. They absorb excess cholesterol and deliver it to the liver where the organ breaks it down and removes it from the body as bile.
LDL Levels
Keeping low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels at less than 100 milligrams per deciliter is ideal, especially for people who have coronary artery or heart disease. LDL levels between 100 and 129 mg/dL pose only a slight risk of heart attack, according to Lab Tests Online. When you reach ranges between 130 and 159 mg/dL, you are borderline high risk for cardiac damage. Levels of 160 mg/dL and 189 mg/dL mean your cholesterol levels have reached high-risk status. Anything over 189 mg/dL is high risk status and physicians often employ medications to attempt to get levels down to an acceptable level.
HDL Levels
Because high-density lipoproteins are beneficial, the higher the level of HDL the better your chances of preventing a heart attack. The American Heart Association states that HDL levels of 60 mg/dL or greater are optimal for cardiac health for both men and women. If a woman's HDL levels fall below 50 mg/dL her risk increases. Men's risk of coronary trouble increases when HDL falls below 40 mg/dL.
