WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?

Cholesterol is a waxy substance found naturally in our body. It has an important role: cholesterol is a building block for cell walls and bile acids and it is needed to produce hormones and vitamin D.



Most cholesterol is made in the body in the liver, a small amount comes from the diet.

A low level of cholesterol in the blood is natural and healthy. Cholesterol only becomes a problem when there is more cholesterol in the blood than the body needs. It can cause the build up of fatty deposits in the arteries, reducing blood flow in arteries and may subsequently become a problem for heart health.

Good and Bad Cholesterol

You may have heard of the terms 'bad' and 'good' cholesterol. There are indeed two different types of cholesterol in the blood, and they are carried in special transport packages called LDL and HDL:

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), takes cholesterol from the liver to the body tissues. If there is a high level of bad (LDL) cholesterol in the blood it can build up in the walls of the blood vessels and cause them to narrow

High-density lipoprotein (HDL), takes cholesterol away from the arteries to the liver to be eliminated and a high level of good (HDL) cholesterol is thought to be heart healthy

To help keep your heart healthy it is important to keep your bad (LDL) cholesterol low and your good (HDL) cholesterol high.

Your total cholesterol is made up from the LDL and the HDL cholesterol. The total cholesterol level recommended for heart health for adult Australians is 5.5 mmol/L or lower.