Cholesterol have both good and bad, this is why it is so very vital to learn what cholesterol is, and how it affects your health, as well as what you can do to lower it if the needed.

   There are basically two different types of cholesterol, the LDL and the HDL. LDL is the bad form of cholesterol, when too much of it found in a person's blood, it can slowly build up on the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain, and together with other substances it is able to shape plaque in the body, which is a thick, hard deposit that can block these arteries.

     A circumstance which is known as atherosclerosis. Then there is HDL is the good form of cholesterol, and when a high level of it is present it seems to protect against heart attacks.

     A low level of HDL levels in a person's body may in fact increase the risk of having a heart attack.

    Good Cholesterol (High Density Lipoprotein) The cholesterol test you normally take actually measures lipoproteins. These lipoproteins are sorted by their density: the measure of fat versus protein in the combination.

    High density means that there is more protein ratio compared to fat. High density lipoproteins (HDL) are good cholesterol.

   They do the necessary work assigned to cholesterol, they help to un-clog your arteries and help flush excess fat from your body.

     Bad Cholesterol (Low Density Lipoprotein) Low density lipoproteins (LDL), very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and triglycerides (a type of fat carried by LDL and VLDL) are the main component of the bad cholesterol.

     If you have high number of these they can clog your arteries and could cause heart attacks or other heart related diseases.

     Bad and good cholesterol levels vary from person to person. Factors that affect cholesterol levels like being overweight, a diet with too much saturated fat and cholesterol, not enough physical activity, heredity and certain medical conditions or medicines. Cholesterol tends to increase with age as well.