Why is LDL called “bad” cholesterol?

Question

Accepted Answer

Hi, everybody. Let's look at our next question. Which of the following best describes why HDL is called good in quotation marks cholesterol. A shdl removes excess cholesterol from the bloodstream and transports it to the liver for excretion. B HDL promotes the build up of cholesterol in the arteries. CHDL is responsible for the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver. Or DH lhdl carries cholesterol to tissues for storage. So, recall when we talk about HDL, it's, it's not actually cholesterol itself. HDL stands for high density lipoprotein and it's essentially a cholesterol carrier. And in the case of the high density lipoprotein or HDL, it serves to carry cholesterol from the body's tissues back to the liver to be processed and ready for excretion. And it serves as this carrier and it carries cholesterol from the tissues of the body back to the liver for excretion. That's important. It gets rid of excess cholesterol. So with that in mind, let's look at our answer. Choices. Choice. A HDL removes excess cholesterol from the bloodstream and transports it to the liver for excretion. So this is correct and is an explanation of why it's good in the sense that you don't have all this cholesterol circulating around that might cause harm. Just put a dot There though because again, this is a broad question. Let's see if there's another better answer. Choice. B says HDL promotes the build up of cholesterol in the arteries. Well, this is incorrect. It is the LDL group that promotes the build up of cholesterol in the arteries. So this would be low density Diop proteins. Their role is to carry cholesterol from the liver out to the tissues where it may be needed. Recall that LDL, the livers cholesterol from the liver to the tissues. So the tissues have a need for cholesterol that's there to do that. So it, and as this cholesterol is being delivered, it can lead to a build up of the cholesterol in the arteries which can stiffen and harden the walls and lead to risk of hypertension. Do I see HDL is responsible for the synthesis of cholesterol on the liver in the liver? Well, this is not correct. Uh This is due to certain. So it's other lipoproteins and enzymes responsible for that synthesis of cholesterol. So that's not our answer choice. And finally choice. DH DL carries cholesterol to tissues for storage and this is not correct. It's LDL that carries cholesterol to tissues but not for storage. It would be for usage. So, kind of two mistakes there. So once again, now we go back to, we had selected a as a potential choice it's now the best answers, the others have been eliminated. And indeed, it centers on the fact that HDL can remove that extra extra cholesterol from the bloodstream and be transported to the liver for excretion. So choice A.

Why is LDL called “bad” cholesterol?

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Key Concepts

Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

Cholesterol Function

Atherosclerosis