Every day many Americans are faced with the fact that their cholesterol levels have increased. Cholesterol affects the heart health of many people and can put their overall health at risk. Understanding the role cholesterol plays in the human body and the risk of causing heart disease is critical. Once you have diagnosed increased cholesterol, you can look into treatment options to improve your health. Knowing when something is wrong with your body is the best way to develop a plan to achieve better health and possibly live a longer life. As millions of Americans are faced with the diagnosis of high cholesterol, understanding the role cholesterol plays in heart disease and the treatment options available is vital to improving your health. The key to understanding cholesterol is to realize that cholesterol serves an important function in the human body. Cholesterol is a steroid-like substance obtained from the food eaten and produced by a healthy liver. Cholesterol is a fatty or waxy substance that does not dissolve in the bloodstream (Klapper, 2006, p. 4). Although it is a fat, cholesterol is part of every cell in the body and has a useful function. Cholesterol is used to maintain the structure of cell walls and to keep the brain healthy. The human body uses cholesterol and fats not only to build cell membranes, but to produce necessary hormones and to form digestive enzymes (Khaleghi, 2011, p. 5). Cholesterol is found in virtually every cell of the human body. There are two parts that make up total cholesterol. The cholesterol that benefits the human body is the HDL portion. HDL refers to high-density lipoproteins. LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, is the portion of cholesterol called bad cholesterol. High density......middle of paper......eghi, 2011, p. 166). Statins lower LDL cholesterol levels more than any other type of drug (Khaleghi, 2011, p. 166). Statins reduce LDL levels by blocking the enzyme HMGCoA reductase (Khaleghi, 2011 p. 166). The enzyme HMGCoA reductase produces cholesterol in the liver (Khaleghi, 2011, p. 166). By blocking the enzyme, the liver produces less cholesterol. One of the reasons statins are widely used is because most people who take them do not experience serious side effects and statins can reduce LDL levels by up to sixty percent (Khaleghi, 2011, p. 167). Statins will impact cholesterol levels in about four to six weeks. Studies show that statins reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease, and death in men and women (Khaleghi, 2011, p. 167). Some of the common brands of statins on the market today are Mevacor, Zocor, Pravachol, Lescol, and Lipitor.