Heart disease is the biggest killer in the United States these days. There are many things that go into this general cardiac category including exercise, diet and lifestyle issues such as smoking. Cholesterol is one topic that is always front and center in this discussion.
What is cholesterol? It is a soft, waxy substance that is found in the blood stream. It is often touted as being universally bad, but it is not. It is needed by the body for basic molecular functions and is actually produced by the liver. In fact, the liver can often produce too much of it when someone is going through massive weight loss. This can lead to a chronic problem in the gallbladder which stores the bile/cholesterol produced by the liver. Many people that have gastric bypass surgery also have to have their gallbladders removed for this very reason.
It was long thought that there was only one type of cholesterol. In truth, there are two. They are found in low density lipoproteins ["LDL"] and high density lipoproteins ["HDL"]. Importantly, neither of these items is cholesterol itself. They simply carry it around the bloodstream. Let’s look at each. Continue reading ‘Contrasting LDL and HDL Cholesterol’ »