Before looking at how cholesterol can be lowered, it is important to understand what it is. Cholesterol is actually produced by the liver and is a fat-like waxy substance.

Although Cholesterol is often thought of as a "bad thing", and if too much is in the body it is, the truth is that cholesterol also has purposes important to your overall health and body function.

Every cell within the body is formed to varying degrees from cholesterol. When the cholesterol level becomes elevated, it can be dangerous, however, at the appropriate level, it plays a vital role in many functions of the body.

Cholesterol works to build and repair cells, produces hormones such as estrogen and testosterone, and produces bile acids proven to aid in the digestion of fat.

If you have too much cholesterol in your body, the levels build-up in the blood and cause clogging, which in turn raises the risk for heart disease and/or stroke.

Some cholesterol is produced in your body while eating saturated foods made from animal-based foods such as dairy meat, eggs, which are essential components in the elevation of cholesterol. Foods such as fruits, vegetables, and grains do not contain cholesterol.

More than 50% of all adult Americans have levels of cholesterol that are too high. If you think about that, what that means is that the potential for having a heart attack and/or stroke is just teetering on the edge for millions of people.

As you will learn in this site, there are ways that cholesterol levels can be reduced. There is hope in that for every 1% you lower your cholesterol, your chance of having a heart attack and/or stroke is reduced by 2%. Not a bad ratio!

The best approach for managing your cholesterol level is to have it checked by your physician every three to five years. If you have elevated cholesterol, there are several ways you can lower your cholesterol before trying medication.