LDL is a cholesterol type that’s seen as harmful to heart health.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), known as “bad” Cholesterol, is one of the types of cholesterol in your blood.

Another type of cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein (HDL), also called “good” cholesterol.

LDL can produces deposits known as plaque that builds up on the walls of the blood vessels that feeds your heart (coronary arteries).

Having high levels of Ldl Cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease, including atherosclerosis — commonly known as “hardening of the arteries.”

This serious condition raises your risk of heart attack, stroke, and death.

Plaque can also be form on the arteries that sends blood to your brain, abdomen, arms, and legs, leading to a higher risk of stroke, intestinal damage, and peripheral arterial disease.

Lp(a) cholesterol is a genetic variation of LDL cholesterol. High levels of Lp(a) are a risk factor for developing fatty deposits in your arteries, even in younger adults.

Though there’s no known treatment for high Lp(a) levels, lowering your LDL cholesterol will also lower your Lp(a).

LDL Cholesterol Facts

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 73.5 million adults in the United States — 31.7 percent of the population — have high levels of LDL cholesterol.

Lower than one in three adults (29.5 percent) with high LDL cholesterol have the condition under control.

Less than half (48.1 percent) of adults with high LDL cholesterol are getting treatment to lower it, the CDC notes.

How to Lower LDL Cholesterol

A healthy lifestyle is the prior protection against high LDL cholesterol, and medication to lower cholesterol can also help, if need be.

Your doctor may recommend the following strategies:

Stick to a healthy diet. A diet high in saturated fats — found in red meat, full-fat dairy, and many packaged and processed foods — can raise your LDL and total cholesterol.

Trans fats — found in fast food and many commercially baked breads, cookies, cakes, chips, crackers, and snack foods — can also raise your LDL cholesterol and lower your HDL cholesterol.

Keep your weight down. If you have a body mass index of 30 or greater, you’re at higher risk for developing high cholesterol.

Watch your waistline. Abdominal fat that expands your waist measurement can increase your risk for high cholesterol.

For men, a waist measurement of 40 inches (102 centimeters) or more puts you at high risk, as does a waist measurement of 35 inches (89 cm) or more for women.

Workout. Exercise has two effects on cholesterol: It raises levels of your body’s HDL cholesterol, and it also increases the size of LDL particles, which makes them less likely to form plaque on coronary artery walls.

Control your blood sugar. If you have diabetes, it’s important to keep your blood sugar under control. High blood sugar levels can weaken the lining of your arteries, raise LDL cholesterol, and lower HDL cholesterol.

Cholesterol-lowering drugs. Sometimes, even people who follow a very healthy lifestyle can have high cholesterol.

Quit smoking. Tobacco smoke causes damage to the walls of your blood vessels, making it easier for plaque to accumulate. Smoking also lowers HDL levels.

If you’re among them, you doctor may recommend additional treatment options, including medication.

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