LDL and HDL

It's not all bad

Cholesterol, the naturally occurring waxy substance produced by your body, isn't a bad thing - unless you have too much of the bad kind. Then it contributes to the formation of artery-clogging plaque, increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke. Cholesterol can’t dissolve in the blood. It has to be transported to and from the cells by carriers called lipoproteins.

You have two main types of cholesterol: Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL (the "bad" cholesterol), and high-density lipoprotein, or HDL (the "good" cholesterol).

These two types of lipids, along with triglycerides and Lp(a) cholesterol, make up your total cholesterol count, which can be determined through a blood test.