Cholesterol is made by the liver in the body and is a very waxy and fat-like matter. To uphold healthy cell walls, make Vitamin D and bile acids that helps in the digestion of fat, make hormones like oestrogen and testosterone, cholesterol is very much required by our body. When inside our body the cholesterol level is suitable, cholesterol plays a very vital role and serves many functions in the body. But if the cholesterol level is too much then definitely it has a lot of detrimental effects to the overall health and body.

Cholesterol is found mostly in animal based foods but when foods with more saturated fats like meat, eggs, and diary is eaten then the cholesterol level in the body raises and the liver starts producing additional needless amount of cholesterol inside the body. These extra amounts of cholesterol are getting deposited in the inner walls of the arteries over the years that supply blood to the heart leading to strokes and heart attacks by clogging your arteries. Although some animal based food also contains saturated fats but when foods like fresh fruits, vegetables and grains are eaten then you can keep up an optimal health as these foods have no cholesterol at all.

There are mainly two lipoproteins that work with cholesterol, LDL (low -density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein).These are the tiny particle that delivers the cholesterol to and from the blood cells as cholesterol itself can not dissolve in the blood. The LDL is often pointed as "Bad" cholesterol because it carries the cholesterol into the blood stream where it can be stored or used and hence can build up and clog arteries resulting in major strokes and massive heart attacks. This happens when LDL amount is too much in the body. On the other hand, HDL is pointed as "Good" cholesterol because it carries the cholesterol in the blood stream from the tissues to the liver, stopping it from piling up in the arteries. This cholesterol is then expelled from the body by the liver. Therefore a high HDL in the body will surely protect against heart attacks and strokes.

Some factors like increased age, being bulky, lack of exercise, and gender can affect your blood cholesterol levels. It is seen that women have higher cholesterol in their body after menopause than they used to have before and also women have higher HDL level than men throughout their lives and this might be the reason why women suffers less strokes and heart attacks under the age of 80 than men and thus they live longer.

So it's now as clear as a crystal that why one should be very much concerned about his or her cholesterol levels in the body. High levels of LDL are strongly related to heart disease (and health insurance know this too) where the coronary artery becomes narrowed or blocked resulting in coronary heart disease (CHD) whereas eating foods like fruits and vegetables which has no cholesterol at all will always keep you healthy and protect from having heart disease.