Cholesterol, found in every cell in your body, is needed to hold cells together, among other things. This eMedTV article explains the types of cholesterol and how too much in your blood can increase your risk of developing heart disease.
What many people think of as "types of cholesterol" are actually different cholesterol complexes. This eMedTV page debunks the common misconceptions associated with these cholesterol complexes, while explaining what each complex is.
The term "good cholesterol" refers to high-density lipoprotein (HDL). This eMedTV resource provides an overview of good and bad cholesterol and explains how improving your HDL levels can lower your risk of heart disease.
Low density lipoprotein (a substance that transports cholesterol) is often called "bad cholesterol." As this eMedTV article explains, too much of this substance in the blood may lead to blocked arteries and increases the risk for heart disease.
As this eMedTV segment explains, a blood cholesterol test is the only way to determine if you have high cholesterol levels in your blood. This article discusses the benefits of a lipoprotein profile test as well as other tests.
This eMedTV Web page offers guidelines and tables to help determine if your cholesterol numbers fall within the healthy range. Commonly measures cholesterol levels include total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol.
Common ratios used in cholesterol tests include total/HDL, LDL/HDL, and HDL/LDL. This eMedTV Web page explains how these ratios are calculated and explores the controversy associated with using a ratio to predict risk for heart disease.
When determining healthy cholesterol levels, it's important to consider LDL and HDL. As this eMedTV segment explains, total cholesterol levels can be misleading. This page talks about good cholesterol levels and offers easy-to-understand tables.
As this eMedTV Web page explains, the HDL/LDL ratio is the proportion of "good cholesterol" (HDL) to "bad cholesterol" (LDL). This article explains how this ratio is figured and explains how it compares to other cholesterol numbers.
A home cholesterol test can be about as accurate as the test your doctor uses. However, as this eMedTV page explains, you must follow the directions carefully. This article talks about the benefits and limitations of this type of test.
As one of the risk factors for developing the condition, cholesterol and heart disease go hand in hand. This eMedTV Web segment discusses the dangerous relationship between heart disease and an excess of cholesterol in the blood.
