Cholesterol but what is it? Well it's a soft, sort of waxy substance found within the fats in your body. Your body requires it because it's utilises it to produce cell membranes and even in producing some hormones, and other functions. But worringly a overly high level of cholesterol in the blood is a very significant risk indicator for coronary heart disease.

Some fats and cholesterol are unable to dissolve in your blood. Which means that they have to be transported around the body by special chemicals called lipoproteins. There are a number of these lipoproteins in the body but the key ones in this instance are low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins also known as HDL.

Low density protein or LDL as it is often known is the key carrier of cholesterol with the blood. But if as can happen the levels of LDL become too high it can build up as a plaque like substance blocking the arteries which provide blood to the heart and brain.

This condition is known as atherosclerosis. A clot that forms near this plaque can block the blood flow to part of the heart muscle and cause a heart attack. If a clot blocks the blood flow to part of the brain, a stroke results.

Approximatley one third of cholesterol is carried by high density lipoprotein (HDL). Doctors and scientists believe HDL actually carries cholesterol deposits away from the arteries to the liver where they are expelled from the body.

A number of experts now believe that HDL gets rid of excess LDL cholesterol. For this reason scientist refer to HDL cholesterol as 'good' or wanted cholestrol .There is in fact significant evidence to suggest that HDL reduces the risk of heart attacks.

Cholesterol is produced in 2 ways .The body predominantly the liver creates around 1,000 milligrams daily.

You'll find cholesterol in many different food products. Foods from animals and animal products contain cholesterol in differing amounts where as foods from plants do not contain cholesterol.

The body is able to produce all the cholesterol it requires, so there is no need for additional cholesterol. Trans fats (trans fatty acids) and Saturated fats are the biggest contributors to raised blood cholesterol. The consequence of this being a greater risk of heart disease.

But dietary cholesterol also plays a part. The average American man consumes about 337 milligrams of cholesterol a day; the average woman, 217 milligrams.

Some of the excess dietary cholesterol is removed from the body through the liver. The American Heart Association recommends that you limit your average daily cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams. If you have heart disease, limit your daily intake to less than 200 milligrams.

It should be obvious by reducing the intake of saturated fat and trans fat it is possible to reduce significantly the level of dietary cholesterol. Don't forget foods high in these fats contain higher levels of dietary cholesterol and there in take should be controlled.

Those with seriously raised levels of cholesterol in their blood may need to reduce their levels further. As stated cholesterol is predominantly in food produced from animals so keep your intake of these type of products to around 6 ounces a day if you have raised cholesterol. Also when possible replace animal protein with vegetables such as beans or pulses.

WARNING: If you are unsure of your cholesterol level have it checked by your medical practitioner or you can buy a home test kit.

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