Which statement about cholesterol is correct?

Which statement about cholesterol is correct?

• A. HDL is bad cholesterol and increases plaque.
• B. LDL is good cholesterol and removes cholesterol from arteries.
• C. HDL is good cholesterol and carries cholesterol to the liver for removal.
• D. LDL stands for high-density lipoprotein and removes cholesterol.

Answer: (C)

Understanding how cholesterol moves in the blood helps explain why this statement is best. HDL, often called the good cholesterol, participates in reverse cholesterol transport: it scavenges excess cholesterol from tissues and arterial walls and carries it to the liver for processing and removal from the body. This helps prevent buildup of cholesterol in arteries and reduces the risk of plaque formation. The other ideas get this mixed up. LDL is known as the bad cholesterol because it tends to deliver cholesterol to cells and to artery walls, where it can contribute to plaque buildup. That’s why saying LDL is good or that HDL is bad isn’t accurate. Also, LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein, not high-density, which is part of why the description in this statement is incorrect.

Understanding how cholesterol moves in the blood helps explain why this statement is best. HDL, often called the good cholesterol, participates in reverse cholesterol transport: it scavenges excess cholesterol from tissues and arterial walls and carries it to the liver for processing and removal from the body. This helps prevent buildup of cholesterol in arteries and reduces the risk of plaque formation.

The other ideas get this mixed up. LDL is known as the bad cholesterol because it tends to deliver cholesterol to cells and to artery walls, where it can contribute to plaque buildup. That’s why saying LDL is good or that HDL is bad isn’t accurate. Also, LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein, not high-density, which is part of why the description in this statement is incorrect.