Cholesterol is often painted as a villain when discussing heart health, but it’s not the enemy. The body needs it to build cells, produce hormones, and make vitamin D. The problem comes when there’s too much of the wrong kind of cholesterol circulating in the blood. I like to compare it to traffic on I-95: when cars move smoothly, everything flows. But when they pile up, lanes get blocked, and before long, nothing moves at all. That’s exactly what happens inside the arteries when cholesterol builds up.
High cholesterol is one of the most important risk factors for heart disease — the leading cause of death for American adults. Stroke, closely linked to heart health, is the leading cause of disability, according to the American Heart Association. The risks are even greater for Black Americans. Yet many people don’t realize their cholesterol is high until a crisis like a heart attack or a stroke.
The good news is, unlike I-95, you have more control over this traffic than you might think. And it’s often the smallest choices that keep blood flowing freely.