Why Is Managing Cholesterol Levels Good for Heart Health?

Let's talk about cholesterol and it's associated [xx] with the heart. Cholesterol has different parts to it, LDL, the lousy cholesterol, the lower the better, that's associated with plaque development. HDL is the happy cholesterol, the higher the better, and that actually goes up with exercise. Triglycerides are associated with sugars and carbohydrates in the diet, and in women, high triglycerides are a worse risk factor for the development of plaque in the arteries. When we get our cholesterol check, it helps us know whether or not we are at risk for heart disease. For people who do have heart disease, getting the LDL as low as possible is critical, and the values of these numbers really depend on what our risk factors are.

So when you get your cholesterol checked, know that if you have high cholesterol, high LDL, high triglycerides, you might be at risk for a heart disease. But a high HDL, that's actually protective for your heart.