As you know, cholesterol is a natural fat that participates in many processes in our body so that it can function properly. There are two types of cholesterol, one is known as good cholesterol and the other as bad cholesterol.
Nowadays, there is so much information on the Internet about cholesterol that it is easy to get confused. We do not always understand the difference between LDL or bad cholesterol and HDL or good cholesterol, but it is vitally important to know it in order to understand what the function of each one is and to learn how to control its levels (so that the bad one will not accumulate in our arteries and we will not lack the good one so that it can clean our organism). It is something very easy to understand and will help us interpret cholesterol tests and maintain good cardiovascular health.
To be able to identify them and know what functions each one fulfils, we have prepared this guide that will help you:
Learn to differentiate the two types of cholesterol HDL and LDL:
The human body manufactures different types of lipoproteins in order to transport cholesterol from the liver to different parts of the body through the blood. Each lipoprotein has a specific target.
Good cholesterol or HDL cholesterol
On the other hand, when we talk about good cholesterol, we refer to HDL (High-Density Lipoproteins).
This type of cholesterol is responsible for transporting the cholesterol found in our arteries to the liver so that it can be eliminated from our body. That is why it is so important to maintain good levels of this type of cholesterol in the body, so that we can eliminate bad cholesterol.
If you have a blood test and your good cholesterol levels are too low, your doctor will tell you the best way to raise your cholesterol. We should follow his guidelines until we are within the recommended levels.
When we talk about bad cholesterol, we refer to LDL (Low-Density Lipoproteins) cholesterol, in reference to the cholesterol transported by low-density lipoproteins.
LDL is bad because it can build up in our arteries over time. This accumulation is one of the risk factors that can cause us to have coronary heart disease, although there are also other risk factors for the development of this disease.
In addition, it can also influence the development of other heart diseases.
If we have high LDL cholesterol we will not notice it, as it does not present symptoms. Hence, the importance of having a blood test to detect it. The good news is that there are many things we can do to lower bad cholesterol.
Even if it is considered bad, LDL cholesterol is necessary, that is, we also need it because it fulfills vital functions within our body. What we need to do is control its levels so that they are not too high and can cause us long-term health problems.
If we have any questions, we should not hesitate to ask our doctor, he will solve all our doubts and advise us on our particular case.