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What Are The Different Types of Cholesterol Circulating in The Body?

Dietary cholesterol is found only in animal products, while the body can produce sufficient cholesterol on its own, negating any dietary requirement. Cholesterol is transported in the bloodstream by lipoproteins, primarily HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol), with VLDL also present. Recent research indicates that the classification of HDL as good and LDL as bad may be too simplistic regarding cardiovascular disease risk.

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8 views1 page

What Are The Different Types of Cholesterol Circulating in The Body?

Dietary cholesterol is found only in animal products, while the body can produce sufficient cholesterol on its own, negating any dietary requirement. Cholesterol is transported in the bloodstream by lipoproteins, primarily HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol), with VLDL also present. Recent research indicates that the classification of HDL as good and LDL as bad may be too simplistic regarding cardiovascular disease risk.

Uploaded by

enatomi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Diet

Dietary cholesterol comes only from animal sources, such as dairy


products, egg yolks, meats, poultry, and seafood. No vegetables,
fruits, or grains contain cholesterol.4 Baked products may contain
some cholesterol if they contain egg yolks, cheese, milk, butter, or
lard. In milk products the majority of the cholesterol is in the fat,
so low-fat or skim milk contains less cholesterol than whole-milk
products.5

Body
No dietary requirement exists for cholesterol because the body
can make enough cholesterol to meet its needs.4 The body can
make cholesterol from compounds produced by the breakdown of
protein, carbohydrates, or fats.6 The liver is the organ responsible
for about 10 percent of cholesterol synthesis, and its function has
a significant impact on blood cholesterol levels. However, some
people lack the ability to control the amount of cholesterol they make and as a result they are
prone to high levels of cholesterol in their blood stream.5

What are the different types of cholesterol circulating in the body?


Cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), and other fats travel through the bloodstream packaged as large
molecules called lipoproteins. These packages differ from one another by the amounts of protein,
fat, and related compounds they contain.7 Cholesterol is mainly carried in the blood by two
different types of lipoproteins: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL).

Three main lipoproteins exist in our blood:

High-density lipoprotein
HDL-cholesterol is also known as the “good” cholesterol since it is
believed to carry cholesterol out of the blood vessels to the liver, where
it is removed from the body. Higher levels of HDL have been associated
with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Emerging research suggests
that actual levels of HDL in the blood may not be as important as how
well it functions to remove cholesterol from the body.8

Low-density lipoprotein
This is the largest portion of circulating cholesterol.7 Because this form
of cholesterol may contribute to the formation of plaque in blood
vessels, LDL-cholesterol is often referred to as the “bad” cholesterol.

Very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)


VLDL is very high in triglycerides and does not carry cholesterol in the
blood.

Emerging research suggests that classifying LDL-cholesterol as “bad” and HDL-cholesterol as


“good” cholesterol may be an oversimplification in relation to CVD risk. There are different forms
of each of the classes of lipoproteins; all of which may have different relationships to CVD risk.
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