Is Low Cholesterol Good or Bad?
- There are two types of cholesterol. LDL, which is considered the "bad" cholesterol, occurs naturally in your body and comes from non-vegetarian foods high in saturated fats. Too much LDL can clog arteries and cause heart disease.
- The second type of cholesterol is HDL, which is considered "good" cholesterol. It can help lower the bad cholesterol, so low amounts of HDL are not helpful to your health. Exercising regularly and eating foods containing healthy fats rather than trans or saturated fats will help increase your HDL levels.
- Maintaining low levels of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, is good, because it will help you stay protected from heart disease. The lower this type of cholesterol, the better. Having low levels of HDL, or "good" cholesterol, may increase your risk of heart disease and results from living a sedentary lifestyle and eating unhealthy foods high in trans fats. The levels for this type of cholesterol should be high to stay healthy.