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So what are the LDL and HDL monsters we hear so much about?
Low density lipoproteins have the job of transporting cholesterol throughout the body to
be used in the construction of cells, etc. They are very soft and can squeeze into tight
places such as small capillaries, because every cell in the body needs cholesterol. If the
body has an excess of cholesterol, the low density lipoprotein carriers release their
attached cholesterol into the blood stream for retrieval by the high density lipoproteins.
The HDL then attaches to the cholesterol and transports it to the liver to be recycled.
LDL receives the "bad" title because it drops off the cholesterol, and HDL receives the
"good" title because it takes the cholesterol out of the blood stream. A good balance
between HDL and LDL is 2 to 1.
But neither are bad. They are doing their job in the body. The problem is that some
cholesterol - the cholesterol damaged by free radicals - sticks.
Continue to Page 4
Copyright (c) 2006 by Chip Engelmann
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