HDL cholesterol: Protecting your heart and arteries

"What's your cholesterol?"

As men reach middle age, they're more likely to ask each other about health than sports, and when the talk turns from league leaders to medicine, cholesterol is likely to be in first place. Yet for all its notoriety, cholesterol is often misunderstood, especially when it comes to HDL, the "good" cholesterol. It's a shame, particularly since so many men overlook the simple things they can do to boost their levels of HDL cholesterol.

Good, bad, and neutral

Misconceptions about cholesterol begin with the very nature of the chemical. Most people think of it as a fat, but it's actually a sterol, a waxy, fatlike substance with a ringed structure not found in true fats.