›› LDL Cholesterol

LDL cholesterol is the kind healthcare professionals refer to as "bad cholesterol." When you have too much LDL cholestrol in your blood stream, it can begin to clog up the inner walls of your arteries. These areteries are very important to both your heart and brain. When comined with other artery clogging substances it forms plaque. Plaque is a thick deposit that clogs your arteries. This process is called atherosclerosis. This plaque can block your arteries and cause both heart attacks and strokes. Doctors measure your HDL and LDL cholesterol levels to determine your risk of having a heart attack. You typically need to keep your LDL levels at less than 100 mg/dL. However, it is acceptable for most people to have a LDL level less than 130 mg/dL. When you have a high LDL level you increase your chances of have heart disease.

›› HDL Cholesterol

Around a third to a fourth of all blood cholesterol is carried HDL cholesterol or high-density lipoprotein. This is known as "good cholesterol" because people who have high levels of it have a much decreased risk of having a heart attack. Low HDL levels increase your risk of heart disease. Most health care professionals say that HDL seems to bring cholesterol away from arteries and instead brings it to the liver where it is processed and passes from your body. It is also said to remove extra cholstrol from plaque in your arteries and in turn, slows plaque buildup.