How diet affects your cholesterol (3 min)

JENNIFER CAUDLE: Cholesterol can seem like a complex subject to understand. But the truth is everyone has cholesterol in their body. And the more you know about how it works in your body,

the easier it is to stay healthy. Ask the right questions, and eat the right foods.

I'm Dr. Jen Caudle. I'm a board-certified family medicine physician and associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Rowan University.

And I'm also a member of Sharecare's editorial advisory board. Cholesterol is a waxy substance made from your liver that

circulates in the blood. It helps build cells and make vitamins and hormones. It's divided into two general categories.

Good cholesterol is called HDL, which stands for High-Density Lipoprotein, where bad cholesterol is called Low-Density

Lipoprotein, or LDL. Low-Density Lipoprotein, or LDL, is considered bad cholesterol. It contributes to fatty buildup in your arteries, which

causes them to narrow and may not allow blood to go through where it's needed. This can increase your risk for coronary artery disease,

causing heart attacks, strokes, or even peripheral artery disease as well. Now, the good kind of cholesterol is called High-Density Lipoprotein, or HDL.

Unlike LDL, it picks up and removes excess cholesterol in the blood, carrying it back to the liver, where it can be broken down and removed from the body.

The total cholesterol in your body is made up of LDL levels and HDL levels and something called triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of fat stored in your blood.

And this is where the body stores extra calories, like sugar or alcohol. Think of it this way. When you eat, your body converts unneeded calories

into triglycerides. A combination of high triglyceride levels and high LDL or low HDL levels can also lead to fatty buildup in the arteries.

In short, too much of the bad or not enough of the good can lead to serious health problems. And if you have too much LDL, then you have high cholesterol.

Total cholesterol isn't just impacted by what you put in your body. It can also be impacted by genetics. As a family medicine physician, I've

seen a lot of patients come in with high cholesterol. Some of the foods to avoid if you have high or elevated cholesterol are things like fatty beef, lamb, pork,

dairy products with whole fat, or saturated oils, like coconut, palm, or shortening oil. Now, some foods that can help with HDL levels

include things like a diet that's high in vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, beans, cereals, grains, fish, and unsaturated oils, like olive oil.

There are plenty of ways, including your diet, to keep your total cholesterol in a healthy place. To find out more, talk with your doctor.