“When we are born, our arteries are clear and healthy. They carry blood, oxygen, and nutrients from our hearts to every part of our bodies. They are the channels of life.
But when our low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol gets too high, it damages and clogs those arteries which results in cardiovascular disease.
You’ve likely heard of LDL as the “bad cholesterol.” That’s because it’s the single biggest cause of the cardiovascular disease atherosclerosis. When there is too much LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream, it penetrates and irritates the walls of the arteries causing inflammation, plaque and blockages. As long as LDL levels remain high, this process continues and leads to heart attacks, strokes, or peripheral artery disease.
September is Cholesterol Education Month, so it’s an important time of year to discuss the role of LDL cholesterol in heart disease.
In 2020 alone, approximately 700,000 people died from heart disease in the U.S. It remains the number one killer in America and around much of the world. The easiest way to prevent this is to know your cholesterol numbers and keeping them out of the danger zone.”
Family Heart Foundation (https://familyheart.org/cholesterol-is-key?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI68_t4sLHiAMVXTIIBR1rghlqEAAYAiAAEgIBovD_BwE)