281 Disease

"281 disease than the 15 percent of people who have type 2 diabetes without metabolic syndrome. Cholesterol Management What Is Cholesterol? To understand high blood cholesterol, it he lps to learn about cholesterol. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat - like substance that’s found in all cells of the body. Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs. However, cholesterol also is found in some of the foods you eat. Cholesterol travels through your bloodstream in small packages called lipoproteins. These packages are made of fat (lipid) on the inside and proteins on the outside. Two kinds of lipo proteins carry cholesterol throughout your body: low - density lipoproteins (LDL) and high - density lipoproteins (HDL). Having healthy levels of both types of lipoproteins is important. LDL cholesterol sometimes is called “bad” cholesterol. A high LDL level l eads to a buildup of cholesterol in your arteries. (Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to your body.) HDL cholesterol sometimes is called “good” cholesterol. This is because it carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. Your liver removes the cholesterol from your body. What Is High Blood Cholesterol? High blood cholesterol is a condition in which you have too much cholesterol in your blood. By itself, the condition usually has no signs or symptoms. Thus, many people don’t know that their cholesterol levels are too high. People who have high blood cholesterol have a greater chance of getting coronary heart disease, also called coronary artery disease. (In this article, the term “heart disease” refers to cor onary heart disease.) The higher the level of LDL cholesterol in your blood, the GREATER your chance is of getting heart disease. The higher the level of HDL cholesterol in your blood, the LOWER your chance is of getting heart disease. Coronary heart disea se is a condition in which plaque builds up inside the coronary (heart) arteries. Plaque is made up of cholesterol, fat, calcium, and other substances found in the blood. When plaque builds up in the arteries, the condition is called atherosclerosis. What Causes High Blood Cholesterol? Many factors can affect the cholesterol levels in your blood. You can control some factors, but not others."