What is the difference between HDL & LDL cholesterol?
Physicians used to be concerned about the total amount of cholesterol in the blood. Now they want to know the amounts of the two main forms of cholesterol, HDL and LDL. An elevated level of HDL, the “good” cholesterol is praised. On the other hand, LDL cholesterol is called “bad” because higher levels indicate an increased risk of heart disease. Cholesterol is necessary to life. Without it we wouldn’t be able to digest fat since it is a key ingredient in bile. We wouldn’t have male or female characteristics because it is part of the steroid hormones. For that matter, we wouldn’t even exist since it is a major constituent of all cell membranes. Cholesterol is a fat. In order for cholesterol to be soluble in watery blood, the liver wraps it with some protein so that blood won’t “see it” as a fat. When the protein wrapping is heavy and thick, it is called high density lipoprotein (HDL). When it is rather thin, it is called low density lipoprotein (LDL). If you eat a fatty meal some of the
