Cholesterol - Causes & Treatments

Cholesterol is defined as a wax like substance which is present in each and every part of the body such as skin, liver, intestine and nervous system. Cholesterol is required by the body to make vitamin D and produce some hormones in the body. It is also required for building cell wall and creating bile salts which are required for the digestion of fat.

Many times body produces excess of cholesterol than the amount really required by the body due to which the excess of cholesterol circulates in the blood stream. As the amount of blood cholesterol level increases, the blood stream gets clogged increasing the risk of heart disease. There are two types of cholesterol namely low density cholesterol and high density cholesterol. LDL is considered as bad cholesterol since it is responsible for clogging the blood vessels and putting you at the risk of heart attack whereas HDL is good cholesterol necessary for clearing the LDL out of the blood vessels.

High level of cholesterol can lead to atherosclerosis where the arteries get narrowed. Pain in the leg while exercising, clotting of blood and rupturing of blood vessels, narrowed arteries are some of the symptoms of increased blood cholesterol level in the body.