Cholesterol is a waxy fat that is present in all human beings. About 80 percent of the cholesterol in the body is manufactured by the liver. The rest is consumed through cholesterol-rich foods such as meat, eggs and dairy products.

Cholesterol itself is vital for survival. However, it can also contribute to coronary artery disease. To understand how cholesterol is related to heart disease, it is necessary to understand how it is transported through the body. Cholesterol is carried in the bloodstream in specialized protein packages called lipoproteins. These are comprised of another building block called apolipoproteins.

A good analogy is to think of lipoproteins like vehicles on the road, while cholesterol represents the passengers. Some of the cars are sleek and fast, while others are cumbersome, large and slow. The nature of the lipoHigh cholesterol (hyperlipidemia) involves elevated blood cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels.protein package, or vehicles, ultimately determines what will happen to the cholesterol it carries. In some cases, excess cholesterol will be transported to the liver, where it is metabolized harmlessly. In other cases, excess cholesterol will penetrate the walls of arteries throughout the body, contributing to a disease called atherosclerosis.