Good cholesterol
'Good' cholesterol in the blood is called HDL. What high
density lipoprotein, or 'good' cholesterol, does is to 'sweep
up' the 'bad' cholesterol from your blood stream. That's why
it's generally considered 'good'.
HDL stands for 'High Density Lipoprotein'. Compared to the
'bad' cholesterol, or LDL, HDL has more protein than
cholesterol in it.
HDL is made in the liver and it collects the cholesterol
from within cell membranes. From there it takes the cholesterol
to the liver where it's processed by the liver.
With increasing HDL to LDL ratio comes a lower risk of CHD
(coronary heart disease). When you have a blood cholesterol
test you'll usually get a total overall number, but the ratio
between LDL and HDL is important to get the true picture.
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