Cholesterol
- Essential for various bodily functions including hormone production and cell membrane health
LDL-cholesterol
- "Bad" cholesterol
- Not inherently bad but becomes problematic when LDL-C levels become too high
- Measures amount of cholesterol being carried in specific lipoproteins
- Elevated LDL levels mean cholesterol can be accumulating in arterial walls
- Overtime these deposits become plaque
- Plaque can harden and narrow arteries (atherosclerosis)