Fourth Grade
Worksheets
Cholesterol
WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?
Cholesterol is a kind of fat found in the blood. Your liver makes cholesterol for your body. You can also get cholesterol from the foods you eat. Meat, fish, milk, and eggs all have cholesterol in them.
There are two kinds of cholesterol - "good" cholesterol and "bad" cholesterol. The good kind is also known as HDL cholesterol. The bad kind is LDL cholesterol. HDL is good because it carries excess cholesterol back to the liver. The liver breaks down the cholesterol so it can be removed from the body. LDL is bad because of the things that can happen if there is too much of it in the blood. LDL carries cholesterol to the body's cells. A small amount is needed in the body. Often, however, there is far too much LDL in the blood. Too much LDL can lead to the formation of plaque on the walls of blood vessels.
DO I NEED IT?
Cholesterol is necessary for all animal life. Your liver and other cells in your body make about 75% of blood cholesterol. The other 25% comes from the foods you eat. Cholesterol is only found in animal products. Most doctors recommend that you should not get more than 300 mg a day. However, the liver can make all of the cholesterol, so none of it really needs to come from the diet.
