Megan Willett/Business Insider
High cholesterol is a potentially deadly problem for nearly four in 10 American adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Many of these people don't even know they are suffering, since the artery-clogging problem is symptom-free and can only be revealed by a blood test. That's why The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that US adults get their cholesterol levels checked every four to six years.
Not all cholesterol is created equal. Some of the waxy, fatty stuff circulating in our blood actually helps our bodies out, while other forms of cholesterol can lead to deadly heart disease and strokes.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is known as the bad-guy cholesterol, because it can build up inside your blood vessels, making it harder for blood to circulate efficiently. If too much LDL cholesterol builds up, it can form clots.
But there is a good-guy type of cholesterol, too. This is called high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and it's good because it binds itself to extra doses of cholesterol in our blood and carries the surplus out to the liver.
It's important to maintain good LDL-to-HDL cholesterol ratios in the bloodstream because high LDL cholesterol can kill. While you should aim to keep your "bad" cholesterol number below 100 milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood (mg/dL), it's also important to keep the "good" cholesterol in the body above 40 mg/dL. In fact, some studies have shown that people without enough of the "good" cholesterol can increase their risk of early death.
You should always aim for a total cholesterol level lower than 200 mg/dL, though.
Here are a few simple, straightforward, and delicious ways to reduce your risk of developing high cholesterol: