We have all heard about cholesterol in thousands of health articles. Cholesterol affects everyone's health around the world. Our blood cholesterol level has a lot to do with our chance of getting heart disease. High cholesterol is one of the biggest and most well-known threats to heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among people in the United States. Each year more than a million Americans have heart attacks, and about half of that number die of heart disease. To put our cholesterol level in the safe zone we must first understand what cholesterol is and how significant it is. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in the bloodstream and in all cells of the body. It is an important part of the body because our bodies need cholesterol to build new cells and repair old cell membranes. Cholesterol is also used to insulate nerves in the production of hormones. The human body produces some of it and the rest comes from the food we eat such as meat, fish, eggs, poultry, cheese and whole milk. Cholesterol travels through the bloodstream in small packets called lipoproteins. These packages are made up of proteins and lipids. There are two types of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol throughout our body; they are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). High-density lipoproteins are known as good cholesterol. HDL removes bad cholesterol from the blood by transporting it to the liver and preventing it from accumulating in the arteries. Low-density cholesterol is known as bad cholesterol because it can cause narrowing or blockage of arteries. This causes blood flow to vital organs, particularly the heart and brain, to slow or stop. It also increases your chances of getting cardiovasc... center of paper... of options for treating high cholesterol. In conclusion, the first action to take against high cholesterol is a change in diet and lifestyle. Weight control, regular exercise and a diet low in cholesterol and animal fats are always all that is needed to lower your cholesterol level into the safe zone. On the other hand, if these changes don't help, I'll go to the doctor. Your doctor may prescribe a cholesterol-lowering drug such as lovastatin, niacin, and ezetimibe. Unfortunately, these mediations can cause liver damage; however, they are not an excuse to eat an unhealthy diet. Additionally, lowering blood cholesterol can cause disruption to certain body functions, such as behavior and mood. High cholesterol can be an extremely serious problem if it is not treated properly. It can lead to heart disease, so pay attention to what you eat.