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Cholesterol

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's found in all the cells in your body. Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help you digest foods. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs. Cholesterol is also found in foods from animal sources, such as egg yolks, meat, and cheese.

If you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it can combine with other substances in the blood to form plaque. Plaque sticks to the walls of your arteries. This buildup of plaque is known as atherosclerosis. It can lead to coronary artery disease, where your coronary arteries become narrow or even blocked.

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Results 1 - 10 of 2,090 for hyperlipidemia
  1. Cholesterol (National Library of Medicine)  
    What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's found in all the cells in your body. Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that ...
  2. How to Lower Cholesterol with Diet (National Library of Medicine)  
    What is cholesterol? Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries and narrow ...
  3. VLDL Cholesterol (National Library of Medicine)  
    What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's found in all the cells in your body. Your liver makes cholesterol, and it is also in some foods, such ...
  4. Cholesterol Levels: What You Need to Know (National Library of Medicine)  
    What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's found in all the cells in your body. Your liver makes cholesterol, and it is also in some foods, such ...
  5. High Cholesterol in Children and Teens (National Library of Medicine)  
    What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's found in all the cells in the body. The liver makes cholesterol, and it is also in some foods, such ...
  6. Cholesterol Medicines (National Library of Medicine)  
    What is cholesterol? Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries and narrow ...
  7. HDL: The "Good" Cholesterol (National Library of Medicine)  
    What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's found in all the cells in your body. Your liver makes cholesterol, and it is also in some foods, such ...
  8. How to Lower Cholesterol (National Library of Medicine)  
    What is cholesterol? Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries and narrow ...
  9. LDL: The "Bad" Cholesterol (National Library of Medicine)  
    What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's found in all the cells in your body. Your liver makes cholesterol, and it is also in some foods, such ...
  10. Cholesterol Levels What is a Cholesterol Test? A cholesterol test is a blood test that measures the amount of cholesterol and certain fats in your blood. Cholesterol ...
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