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Cholesterol

April 29, 2022

Reviewed by Mallika Marshall, MD, Contributing Editor

Cholesterol isn't entirely the health villain it's made out to be, its name darkly linked to heart attack, stroke, and other types of cardiovascular disease. Our bodies need cholesterol, which is a type of lipid (another name for fat) needed to make cell membranes, key hormones like testosterone and estrogen, the bile acids needed to digest and absorb fats, and vitamin D.

What is "bad" about cholesterol isn't the substance itself — in fact, we can't live without it — but it’s certain types of cholesterol and how much of them are in the bloodstream that matter.

If you have high cholesterol, making changes in your diet can help bring it down into the healthy range. Exercise can help boost the level of HDL (andamp;ldquo;good” cholesterol). Dietary changes and medication, notably the family of drugs known as statins, can powerfully lower LDL (andamp;ldquo;bad” cholesterol).

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