Our bodies need a certain level of cholesterol to function properly, with every cell containing some cholesterol. The body naturally makes about 75% of the cholesterol we need through our liver, with the rest of the cholesterol coming from the food we eat. Cholesterol is broken down into low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein, or HDL cholesterol. Both types of lipoproteins are essential to our health, as they serve different purposes that help our bodies to work properly. HDL is what is often referred to as good cholesterol because its job is to remove cholesterol from the arteries, taking it back to the liver where it is processed and eliminated. LDL has the reputation of being the bad cholesterol because it leaves cholesterol in your arteries. While the body does need some cholesterol in the arteries, having too much total cholesterol in your body can cause health problems because LDL cholesterol can build up in your arteries. A thick, hard deposit can also form in the arteries when cholesterol joins up with other substances, making the arteries less flexible and narrowing them. A heart attack or stroke is the result of a blood clot forming in the arteries and blocking the narrowed artery when it can’t get through. With help from your doctor, you can manage your cholesterol levels to ensure that you don’t get high levels of cholesterol in your bloodstream that can lead to serious health issues.