September is National Cholesterol Awareness Month, so take some time this month to educate yourself on cholesterol -- the good, the bad, and what you can do about it.

• Get tested. If you don't know your cholesterol levels, visit your doctor. Ask your doctor to explain the results and give you some recommendations if your cholesterol levels needs improvement. Chris recently posted a good overview of the different types of cholesterol and some general guidelines for healthy ranges.
  
• Eat heart-healthy foods. Choose plenty of whole grains, healthful fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), lots of fruits and vegetables, and lean protein. Also, remember to minimize your sodium intake.

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What is cholesterol? We talk about it all the time, but do we really know what it is? And how does it effect our bodies? Now, I'm not a doctor, and I'm definitely not a scientist, but I am curious -- so I looked it up.

Cholesterol is made by the liver. Just about every animal that is eaten for food produces cholesterol in this manner. After it's produced in your own body, or absorbed from the food you eat, it's then carried through the bloodstream by particles known as lipoproteins. These particles are also produced in the liver, so it kind of works out quite nicely in that way. Anyway, from these lipoproteins are made up of fat and protein. However, what they contain more of determines if they are "bad" or "good." If they contain a higher proportion of fat, they can stick to your blood vessel walls as they speed through your veins and arteries. Over time, this accumulates and forms hardened plaque, thus reducing the flow of blood to your heart -- and hence the "bad" label. On the other hand, lipoproteins that contain a higher proportion of protein serve a different and much healthier function. Their main task is to carry cholesterol away from your heart and out of the body. The higher your levels of this "good" lipoproteins, the lower your risk of dying from a heart attack.

That's just about the best way I can explain it. Not exactly ready for the New England Journal of Medicine, but not bad for a blog post, if I say so myself.

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