When we talk about cholesterol, we’re also talking about a lot of numbers which are actually vital parts towards our understanding of how it relates to our current health. But, we should not only limit ourselves into monitoring why these numbers go high or low. We should also know why it affects our body’s health.

To understand more about cholesterol, let’s run through some important points that will help you take more control of your cholesterol, instead of it taking control on you.

So just what is cholesterol anyway?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance made by your liver. And though we mostly hear that it’s bad, we can’t discount the fact that our body needs some cholesterol to help form cell membranes and for our hormones.

Basically, our body can produce all the cholesterol it needs. But eating foods high in cholesterol triggers your liver to produce more than the body requires. This extra cholesterol blocks blood flow which then sets the stage for a possible stroke or a heart attack. When we say you have high cholesterol, it actually means that your bloodstream contains more amount of cholesterol than what your body needs to be healthy.

But understanding your total cholesterol is just a part of it. We should also be oriented with the two types of cholesterol—low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and their differences.

(By the way, lipoproteins are combinations of fat and protein made by your body, responsible for delivering other fats, which don’t dissolve in your blood, to your cells.)

LDL, also known as the “bad” cholesterol, carries most of the cholesterol in the blood. When there’s too much LDL in the body, it combines with other substances to form a thick deposit that sticks to artery walls called plaque. Having a blood clot developed near the plaque, reduces blood flow which can lead to a heart attack or a stroke. So basically, the lower your LDL level is, the better. (At least to a certain level … not all the way down to zero.) Having a healthy low cholesterol diet along with other healthy lifestyle choices will help your body maintain a low LDL cholesterol level.

While LDL is the bad side of cholesterol, HDL is the “good” cholesterol. The HDL is responsible for carrying about a quarter to one-third of the bad cholesterol in the blood from different organs to the liver for disposal. It also clears up cholesterol deposits in our arteries. Raising your HDL levels by living a healthy lifestyle and having regular exercise is highly advisable.

Though some factors beyond your control, such as age and family history can still lead us to the dangers of heart attack and stroke, it still is very important for us to understand that helping ourselves control and maintain healthy cholesterol levels is an important part of reducing our risk of heart attack or stroke.