We hear a lot of talk about a variety of kinds of cholesterol: good, bad, HDL, LDL, VLDL, triglycerides, lipids and more. If you're not a doctor, it's tough to keep it all straight.

The goal of this post is to explain what LDL cholesterol is - the type that's also known as "bad" cholesterol - and the role it plays in overall cholesterol health.

First, let's have a quick refresher on exactly what cholesterol is and the relationship between cholesterol and fat.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that circulates in the blood. The body manufactures a certain amount of it, predominantly in the liver. We get more from the food we eat. But because cholesterol is incapable of traveling through the bloodstream alone, it must attach itself to a protein. This combination is called a "lipoprotein."

LDL stands for "low density lipoprotein." Think of LDL as standing for "low down and lousy," because it's the "bad" cholesterol that people talk about. LDL gets stuck on the sides of the arteries, building up plaque which causes blockage, or "hardening of the arteries." It can lead to a heart attack if it builds up in the coronary arteries, or a stroke if it builds up in cerebral arteries.

There's another typeof lipoprotein that's exactly the opposite. It's the "good" cholesterol you hear people talking about. This type is known as HDL or "high density lipoprotein." It's considered to be "good" cholesterol because it grabs onto the bad cholesterol and sweeps it through the bloodstream to the liver. From there, it's removed from of the body.

Much of of the LDL in our diet comes from fats in the foods we eat : especially two kinds of fats. These are known as saturated fats and trans fats. You find these unhealthy fats in meat (especially the red variety), certain oils (like those used for french fries in fast food restaurants), prepackaged and processed foods, and baked goods like donuts, cake, muffins, etc.

When you avoid these foods and focusing on healthy choices like fruits, vegetables, and certain nuts and grains, you can lower your LDL which lowers the possibility that you'll ever have heart disease.

If you're generally not familiar with medical terminology, it may be difficult to remember which variety  of cholesterol is good and which is bad. Try to keep in mind that LDL stands for low density and HDL stands for high density. Where cholesterol is concerned, low density is bad and high is good. Our cardiologist friend has a saying that might make it easier: "Low has got to go..."

By maintaining a healthy ratio between your HDL and your LDL, you reduce your risk of cardiovascular "events" like heart attacks and stroke. Exercise is also important. Research has proven that getting your heart rate up with vigorous physical activity helps your HDL cholesterol cleaning the LDL out of your system.

When you have your cholesterol tested, your doctor will probably explain your numbers in terms of total cholesterol, HDL and LDL levels. Ideal HDL is 60 mg/dL or higher. Your ideal LDL level should be 100 mg/dL or lower. Your doctor may also give you  the relationship between LDL and HDL as a ratio. The lower the ratio of LDL over HDL, the better.

It's important to check your cholesterol levels often. Research in recent years has shown that high cholesterol is becoming a serious health problem in younger and younger people. Doctors now say even teenagers and 20-somethings should have cholesterol and blood pressure checked. This is because most kids these days eat a fatty, cholesterol-rich diet and get very little exercise. Therefore, hypertension (high blood pressure) and high cholesterol are becoming health threats for younger people much more so than they were in the past.

Tags: fast food restaurants, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, healthy choices, heart disease, Health, food restaurants