The Difference Between HDL And LDL Cholesterol
The differences between the major types of cholesterol are often misunderstood. People tend to think of cholesterol as one specific blob of stuff that clogs your arteries when in fact it really is cholesterol is an overarching category for a number of more specific types.
The most notable types of cholesterol are HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, which are actually a type of fat that circulates through your blood. When doctors and medical professionals look for your cholesterol levels they are looking at all three of these pieces individually. They want you to know how to lower LDL cholesterol levels, how to raise HDL cholesterol levels, and they want you to know how to keep your triglycerides low.
What gets many people confused however is the seemingly contradictory requirement to have high levels of HDL cholesterol while also having low overall cholesterol levels. The logic behind this is lost on many people and it is often misunderstood. Another confusing aspect of cholesterol is that foods don’t really add much HDL cholesterol to your blood but they do add lots of LDL cholesterol. So if foods don’t add much HDL cholesterol to your blood how do you get them to increase significantly?
The answer to this question is a bit complex however to generalize the process we’ll say that HDL cholesterol is in a constant state of flushing LDL cholesterol from your body. When your HDL cholesterol levels are high you are actually flushing more LDL cholesterol from your blood. In fact your LDL cholesterol levels decrease faster as your HDL cholesterol levels rise slower. This causes overall cholesterol levels to fall even though HDL cholesterol levels might be rising.
So how then do the good HDL cholesterol levels get high in the first place? This happens by a combination of increasing the consumption of foods which do provide HDL cholesterol such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts and foods which help your body retain more HDL cholesterol such as red wine, seafood, and foods containing omega-3 fatty acids. Additionally, exercise is another great way to help your body retain good HDL cholesterol.
So generally speaking the difference between HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol is that they come from different food sources and one helps to increase overall cholesterol levels while the other helps decrease overall cholesterol levels. It’s important to keep the two in mind the next time you are eating and the next time you get your blood tested for cholesterol levels.