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Cholesterol – what is it?
Key points about cholesterol
- Cholesterol is a type of fat found in your blood. Your body needs cholesterol, but only a small amount.
- Too much cholesterol can lead to serious problems such as a heart attack or stroke.
- Cholesterol is made by your liver and is also found in some foods, especially animal products.
- You can find out your cholesterol level by having a blood test.
- If you have high cholesterol, you need to make healthy lifestyle changes to help lower it.
- If making lifestyle changes doesn’t lower your cholesterol, you may need to take medicine.
Cholesterol is a type of fat found in every cell in your body. Your body cells use cholesterol as an essential building material. Cholesterol is also used to make vitamin D, hormones and bile. It's needed for digestion and healthy brain function.
Your liver makes most of the cholesterol in your body. You also get cholesterol from the food you eat, especially animal products like meat, eggs, butter, cheese and milk. Fruits, vegetables and grains don't have any cholesterol.
Video: Cholesterol animation
Cholesterol is packaged up with proteins when it travels around your bloodstream. These packages are called lipoproteins (‘lipo’ is another word for fat).
There are 2 main types of cholesterol protein packages:
- LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol – commonly known as ‘bad cholesterol’. It carries cholesterol from your liver through your bloodstream, where it can cause damage.
- HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol – commonly known as ‘good cholesterol’. It carries the cholesterol in your blood vessel walls and tissues back to your liver, where it's broken down.
An easy way to remember this is LDL starts with ‘L’ for ‘lousy’ and HDL starts with ‘H’ for ‘healthy’.
When people talk about having high cholesterol, they're usually referring to LDL cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol and low levels of HDL cholesterol increase your risk of having heart disease.
Video: Understanding cholesterol
You only need a small amount of cholesterol for your body to function well. Your body can filter out cholesterol but how well it's able to do this depends on a number of factors such as the foods you eat, your age, how much you exercise and your genetics. Cholesterol can build up in your body from childhood. Too much cholesterol can cause the arteries that carry blood around your body to become stiffer, narrower or clogged. This can lead to serious problems such as a heart attack or stroke. Read more about high cholesterol.
You can find out what your cholesterol level is by having a blood test. You won't have any symptoms that tell you your cholesterol is high.
Video: Cholesterol and heart disease
(British Heart Foundation, UK, 2019)
If a blood test shows you have high cholesterol, talk to your healthcare provider. They will consider not just your cholesterol numbers, but your overall risk for heart disease – including your medical and family history, any medicines you take, and your current lifestyle. Based on this, they can advise you about healthy lifestyle changes and whether medicine might also be recommended.
Learn more about high cholesterol and cholesterol lowering medicines.
Apps reviewed by Healthify
You may find it useful to look at some nutrition, exercise and weight management apps, quit smoking apps and stroke apps.
Cholesterol facts(external link) CSIRO, Australia
Brochures
High blood cholesterol(external link) Everybody sheets, NZ, 2018
What is cholesterol?(external link) 2022 American Heart Association, US, 2022
Apps
Nutrition, exercise and weight management apps
Quit smoking apps
Stroke apps
References
- What is cholesterol?(external link) Heart Foundation, NZ
- What is cholesterol?(external link) Cleveland Clinic, US, 2025
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Credits: Healthify editorial team. Healthify is brought to you by Health Navigator Charitable Trust.
Reviewed by: Dr Grace Lee, FRNZCGP and Clinical Educator
Last reviewed:
