Cholesterol is a type of fat which has many important functions in the body, including producing hormones, being part of the cell walls in the body and producing bile acid.Proteins called lipoproteins help move cholesterol around our blood.
The two main types of lipoproteins are:

1.LOW DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (LDL)
• The ‘unhealthy’ cholesterol
• Lead to blocked arteries and risk of heart disease
• Current recommendations are to keep LDL cholesterol levels to <2.0mmol/L and <1.8mmol/L if at higher risk.

2. HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (HDL)
• The ‘healthy’ cholesterol
• Helps protect arteries from a build-up of fatty deposits and helps decrease heart disease risk
• HDL cholesterol levels are recommended to be >1.0mmol/L.

The total level of cholesterol in the blood is a combination of HDL (healthy) cholesterol and LDL (unhealthy) cholesterol. A low level of HDL cholesterol and a high level of LDL cholesterol in the blood will put you at risk of heart disease.