Good and bad cholesterol

There are two types of cholesterol – high-density lipoproteins (HDL, considered to be good cholesterol) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL, considered to be bad cholesterol). Cholesterol is transported in the blood. LDL is damaging and can easily build up on the walls of the coronary arteries. However, HDL removes excess cholesterol from the tissue and transports it to the liver.

• Increased HDL levels are good
• Increased LDL levels are bad

Coronary heart disease is less common in people with a blood cholesterol level of under 4 mmol L-1.

Coronary heart disease is more common in people with a blood cholesterol of 6.5 mmol L-1 or more.

Remember, cholesterol levels measured after a heart attack, angina attack or coronary artery bypass graft will be falsely low.