Key Information

The Highway Analogy: Think of your bloodstream as a busy delivery highway. Your body needs cholesterol ("delivery vans") to transport vital building blocks to your cells.

The Sticky Vans (Non-HDL): "Bad" cholesterol is like clumsy, sticky vans. If there are too many, they crash and cling to the walls of your arteries. This causes a silent traffic jam, narrowing the lanes and making it harder for blood to flow.

The Cleanup Crew (HDL): "Good" cholesterol acts like a cleanup crew. They travel the highway, pick up the sticky vans, and take them back to the liver to be removed.

The Silent Risk: You cannot feel these traffic jams forming. High cholesterol has no symptoms, which is why a blood test is the only way to know if you are at risk of a heart attack or stroke.

What Happens Next?

If you haven't had a check recently, or if you are concerned, the first step is to get a simple blood test. This will tell us if your highway is clear or if we need to take action to clear the congestion.

Request a Blood Test

Further Information

For more information on cholesterol, please visit the NHS website.

• Learn more about cholesterol

Last reviewed: 28 April 2026
Next review due: 28 April 2029