Q: What are the HDL and LDL cholesterol levels and why is it important that I know them?
A: In 2010, what we really want to know are the HDL and LDL as this is where the rubber meets the road. LDL (low density lipoprotein) is the fraction of your cholesterol most associated with the development and progression of heart and blood vessel disease as it carries the cholesterol that is deposited in, and eventually clogs up, blood vessels. HDL (high density lipoprotein) is the fraction that works to clean out the junk that LDL has deposited. LDL dirties up the blood vessels, and HDL cleans them up. A great analogy is that if LDL is garbage, HDL is garbage trucks. Desirable numbers for these are an LDL less than 130 and an HDL greater than 40 in a man or 50 in a woman.
– Dr. John Wood, Beacon
Associates in Internal Medicine
Member, Chattanooga-Hamilton
County Medical Society
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