What is cholesterol, and why is it a problem?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance your body uses to protect nerves, make cell tissue, and produce certain hormones. Most of the cholesterol in your body is made by your liver. Some cholesterol also comes from foods such as eggs, meats, and dairy products.

While some cholesterol is needed for good health, too much cholesterol in your blood can raise your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

The extra cholesterol in your blood may be stored in your arteries (blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body). Buildup of cholesterol, or "plaque," in your arteries will cause them to narrow. This is called atherosclerosis. Large deposits of cholesterol can completely block an artery, so the blood can't flow through.

Cholesterol travels through the blood in different types of packages, called lipoproteins.

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) deliver cholesterol to the body. High-density lipoproteins (HDL) remove cholesterol from the bloodstream.

This explains why too much LDL cholesterol is bad for the body, and why a high level of HDL is good. It's the balance between the types of cholesterol that tells you what your cholesterol level means.

Not everyone has the same kind of cholesterol. Small LDL particles are seen mostly in patients with a strong family history of heart disease, and among those who have had multiple cardiac events. In those individuals, it is important to test for particle size. Medications and other treatments can help reduce cholesterol-related risks for those patients. For more information about cholesterol, click on the links below:
Family Doctor - English
Family Doctor - Español
National Library of Medicine - English
National Library of Medicine - Español

How can New Heart help me with my cholesterol?
Our doctors at New Heart can meet with you and evaluate your current cholesterol (or "lipid") numbers, and also develop a treatment plan with you to manage your cholesterol. Your treatment may include medication and/or changes to your diet.

Individuals with heart disease at an early age, those with a strong family history, or those who have had multiple heart events may have a cholesterol abnormality that requires specific blood tests for diagnosis and specific medications to alter the problem. This is one of New Heart's areas of expertise. We will always communicate with your other health care providers to be sure that our recommendations are compatible with their treatment plan for you.

Our registered dietician can meet with you to review your cholesterol numbers and determine what changes you can make in your diet to help manage your cholesterol and keep it within a healthy range.