Cholesterol & Risk
In order for cholesterol to be transferred through the blood, the liver packages cholesterol, fat and special proteins together into compounds known as lipoproteins. There are three main types of lipoproteins:
- Very-low density lipoproteins (VLDL)
- Low density lipoproteins (LDL)
- High density lipoproteins (HDL)
The lipoproteins come out of the liver as VLDL and flows through the blood to different parts of the body. VLDL deposits the fat component throughout the body and becomes LDL. Most lipoproteins found in the blood is LDL. LDL is the dangerous version of the lipoproteins because LDL is 'sticky' and can get stuck along the walls of blood vessels as it carries the cholesterol away from the liver into the bloodstream.
In order to alleviate the situation, the liver also generates HDLs for the purpose of carrying LDLs back to the liver to be broken down or re-cycled. Because of this, VLDLs and LDLs are typically associated with 'bad' cholesterol while HDLs are typically associated with 'good' cholesterol. Health risks increase if LDL and VLDL levels increasingly surpass the appropriate corresponding HDL levels.