A. Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found in your bloodstream. Although your body needs cholesterol to help build and maintain cells, too much cholesterol can build up on your artery walls.

A. LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is known as “bad” cholesterol because it can build up in the walls of your arteries and form a thick, hard plaque that clogs your arteries and blocks the flow of blood to your heart and brain. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is called “good” cholesterol because it helps eliminate bad cholesterol from the body.

A. Your body produces cholesterol naturally, based on family history. Your liver makes cholesterol, as do other individual cells throughout your body. Once cholesterol is produced, it can make its way into your bloodstream.

What does this process mean to you? Take the cholesterol your body makes and add it to the cholesterol you get from food. Now you can see how easily cholesterol can build up in your bloodstream and how your overall cholesterol level can increase.

The good news is that treating both sources can lower your cholesterol. When diet and exercise aren’t enough, adding VYTORIN can help.

A. Try these helpful resources:

A. Having high LDL (bad) cholesterol can put you at risk of heart disease—especially if you have any of these additional risk factors:

A. Nearly 72 million Americans have high LDL (bad) cholesterol, and it’s estimated that about 24 million people are taking a cholesterol–lowering medicine.

A. There is no cure for high cholesterol; it can only be controlled. Exercise and diet changes, and medicine if needed, can help lower high cholesterol.

A. If you’re still having a hard time lowering your cholesterol, even though you may be exercising and watching your diet, you and your doctor can discuss next steps. With 2 sources of cholesterol to deal with, lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol can be challenging. You may need medicine, along with diet, to help lower your LDL levels to reach the goal set by your doctor.

A. Along with your doctor, you’ve worked out a plan to help control your cholesterol. Your plan depends on your risk factors and test results. It should include all of the following:

Even after making changes to your lifestyle, you may still be having a hard time lowering your cholesterol to reach your cholesterol goal. You may need medicine to help address the 2 sources of cholesterol in your body. So, when diet and exercise aren’t enough to control the cholesterol from the food you eat and that is made naturally in your body, your doctor may prescribe medicine, along with diet, to help you reach your LDL goal.