Small LDL particles pose biggest risk

Not all LDL cholesterol is created equal. Some particles of this blood fat are large and buoyant and breeze easily through your circulatory system. But other particles are small and dense — and four times as likely to cause heart disease. "In order for cholesterol to cause disease, it has to embed in the wall of the artery," says Paul Ziajka, M.D., Ph.D., a clinical lipidologist with the Southeast Lipid Association. "And the smaller the particle, the easier it can do that."

CONTINUED: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35058886/