The body uses cholesterol to digest dietary fats, make hormones, build cell walls, and assist in other important processes.
When blood flows to the heart it is impeded and the heart muscle becomes starved for oxygen, causing chest pain (angina). If a blood clot completely obstructs a coronary artery affected by atherosclerosis, a heart attack (myocardial infarction) or death can occur.
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Cholesterol is carried in the bloodstream to various body tissues to be used, stored and excreted. These particles are called lipoproteins and are either considered bad (LDL - low-density lipoprotein) or good (HDL - high-density protein).
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the "bad" form of cholesterol and is carried into the blood. It is the main cause of harmful fatty buildup in arteries. Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. Millions of people have elevated LDL blood cholesterol levels, one of the key risk factors for heart disease.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is often referred to as the "good" cholesterol and carries blood cholesterol to the liver to be eliminated. HDL helps prevent bad cholesterol buildup in blood vessels.
