- Cholesterol is naturally produced by a person's liver and is found in food as well. People have both low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. HDL is considered the good kind of cholesterol, as it helps to remove bad cholesterol, called LDL, from the arteries. LDL is the type of cholesterol that leads to dangerous health effects.
- Sometimes too much LDL cholesterol accumulates in a person's body. This may happen because she eats a lot of foods that contain cholesterol, or it may occur as a result of diseases that contribute to lower HDL levels and genetic conditions that make a person more prone to high levels of LDL. Often a person may think she is eating well because she isn't consuming a lot of cholesterol. However, when she consumes saturated fat, this causes her cholesterol levels to go up as well. Whatever the cause, having more cholesterol in the bloodstream than the body needs for cells causes a buildup of this waxy substance in the arteries that lead not only to her heart, but also to her brain.
- The thick, hard deposit that forms in a person's arteries is referred to as plaque, which eventually makes the arterial passages significantly narrower than they were originally. This plaque also serves to decrease the flexibility of the arteries. Hardened arteries is a conditioned referred to as atherosclerosis.
- Once excess cholesterol begins to build up in the arteries and narrow them, each addition to the plaque deposit puts the person's health more at risk. If a clot should form in one of the narrowed arteries, it may affect blood flow to the heart. The result of this could be a heart attack. When blood flow to the brain is blocked, the person may have a stroke.
- There are two ways HDL may help to slow the buildup of cholesterol in a person's body. According to WebMD, it may serve to take cholesterol away from the plaque that threatens to clog the arteries. It may also work by carrying it away from the arteries and back to its producer, the liver. Once there, it goes on to exit the body. Unfortunately, people with high cholesterol typically have too much LDL and not enough HDL for this process to work effectively.
