Cholesterol is made in your liver and has many important functions. For example, it helps keep the walls of your cells flexible and is needed to make several hormones.

However, like anything in the body, too much cholesterol or cholesterol in the wrong places creates problems.

Like fat, cholesterol does not dissolve in water. Instead, its transport in the body depends on molecules called lipoproteins, which carry cholesterol, fat and fat-soluble vitamins in the blood.

Different kinds of lipoproteins have different effects on health. For example, high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) result in cholesterol deposits in blood vessel walls, which can lead to clogged arteries, strokes, heart attacks and kidney failure ( 1 ).

In contrast, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) helps carry cholesterol away from vessel walls and helps prevent these diseases ( 2 ).

This article will review 10 natural ways to increase the “good” HDL cholesterol and lower the “bad” LDL cholesterol.