Understand Diseases > High Blood Cholesterol

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a form of lipid or fat found in the bloodstream. It is used in the process to make tissues, such as cellular membrane, and hormones. However, too high a level of cholesterol in the body is harmful to your health.

Major Sources of Cholesterol

1.	Majority is made by the liver
2.	The rest comes from food, especially fatty meats from organs, which contain large amounts of cholesterol

Main Types of Plasma Lipids

Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol¹

LDL-C can stick easily to the walls of blood vessels and is one of the major causes of arterial blockage. Thus, LDL-C is known as "bad" cholesterol.

High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol¹

HDL-C helps to collect and remove "bad" cholesterol (LDL-C) from the blood and returns it to the liver. This prevents clogging of blood vessels. Thus, HDL-C is known as "good" cholesterol.

Triglycerides¹
Triglycerides are a form of plasma lipid that are composed of one glycerol molecule and three fatty acid molecules. In general, patients with heart disease or diabetes and obese patients tend to have a high level of triglycerides.