Lipids: Psychosocial Aspects

Catherine M. Stoney & Diane Bonfiglio

Lipids are fats that circulate in the blood, and include cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids. Lipids are usually transported in the blood from one tissue site to another in the form of lipoproteins, which are combinations of lipids and proteins. The most well-studied and clinically relevant of these lipoproteins are high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), but the major lipoproteins also include chylomicrons, very low density lipoprotein, intermediate-density lipoprotein, and Lp(a). Total cholesterol concentrations include cholesterol from all of the lipoproteins. Because about 70% of cholesterol in the blood is carried by LDL, there is a strong relationship between LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol. Lipids play a central etiological role in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). Evidence from epidemiological studies, clinical investigation, and basic science research has concluded that persistently elevated concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL-c, and probably triglycerides predispose individuals to higher risk of developing atherosclerotic heart disease and thrombosis, and ...

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