ELI5: What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's in all of our bodies.

Think of your body like a city with lots of roads. Cholesterol is like a delivery truck that carries important things around the city. Some trucks are good, and some are not so good if there are too many of them.

• Good Cholesterol (HDL): This is like a helpful truck that picks up extra cholesterol from the roads and takes it back to the recycling center (your liver) to be removed from the city. We want lots of these helpful trucks!

• Bad Cholesterol (LDL): This is like a truck that sometimes drops off too much cholesterol on the roads. If there are too many of these trucks, the cholesterol can build up on the walls of the roads, making them narrow and hard to drive on. These narrow roads make it hard for blood to flow properly and can cause problems.

So, to keep your body healthy, it's important to:

• Eat healthy foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• Get plenty of exercise.
• Visit the doctor regularly to check your cholesterol levels.