Learn Your Lipids: Is Cholesterol Bad?

Cholesterol is insoluble within blood, thus protein is needed as a "carrier" for transporting cholesterol throughout the whole body. This carrier protein is called apolipoprotein/apoprotein (apo). The combination of cholesterol and apolipoprotein is known as lipoprotein, classified into low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)

LDL is often called "bad" cholesterol since it might stick on the inner coat of the blood vessel and narrow the room within the blood vessel. Consuming the food loaded with excessive saturated fat might increase the amount of LDL. High amount of LDL increase your risk of heart disease.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL)

HDL is often called as "good" cholesterol since it works to carry the leftover of the cholesterol in the blood vessel to the liver to be further processed. High amount of HDL is believed to be able to protect you from heart diseases.

High amount of cholesterol within blood will stick the cholesterol on the inner coat of the artery and form atheroma or plaque that narrows down the blood vessel and eventually causes heart attack if it clogs the blood vessels heading to the heart, or stroke if it clogs the arteries heading to brain.

Triglyceride

Triglyceride is a type of fat in your blood. When eating, the body converts the excess of calories into triglyceride, which then is stored in the lipid cells. Triglyceride is discharged to produce energy when the body needs it. If the amount of the calories consumed is more than the amount used, the amount of triglyceride will also increase. The increase on the amount of triglyceride can raise the risk of heart diseases and indicate the occurrence of metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a combination between the increase of the blood sugar and the blood pressure, excess of fat around the belly, the low amount of HDL and high amount of triglyceride. Metabolic syndrome will raise the risk of heart diseases, diabetes and stroke.