Types of cholesterol

Not all cholesterol is bad for you. There are two types that travel around in your blood:

1. ‘Bad cholesterol’ – LDL

   This is called low density lipoprotein (LDL). You can think of this as a delivery lorry. It carries cholesterol from the liver where it’s made to the cells where it’s needed. But if there’s more LDL than your cells need, it stacks up in the blood – your blood vessels become the ‘lorry park’. The cholesterol builds up in the artery walls, narrowing the arteries and creating a risk of heart attack or stroke. This is why treatment aims to reduce your LDL.

2. ‘Good cholesterol’ – HDL

   This is high density lipoprotein (HDL). It’s like a rubbish-collecting lorry. It can sweep up the excess cholesterol and carry it away from our arteries and back to the liver, where it is broken down and recycled. So higher levels of HDL are better. It’s the balance of good and bad cholesterol in our blood that is important in keeping healthy and protecting against damage. When you have a blood test for cholesterol, it will measure individual levels of both HDL and LDL, as well as your total blood cholesterol.