Cholesterol tests measure the amount of cholesterol found in your blood. The most common measurements include total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein, or HDL cholesterol and low density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is the most commonly associated with an increased risk of disease.

Low density lipoprotein, or LDL, transports cholesterol from your liver and delivers it to the tissues that need it. However, if cholesterol is unneeded, then LDL circulates throughout your bloodstream. For health-related purposes, you should maintain your LDL cholesterol in a certain range.

Prednisone is a medication in the corticosteroid class of drugs. These medications can be used to treat a variety of different health problems. Taking high doses of prednisone or taking prednisone for a long period of time can cause side effects, including an increase in the amount of LDL cholesterol in your blood.

LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, is the best gauge of your risk for heart attack and stroke, even more so than total cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association. An optimal LDL cholesterol level is below 100 milligrams per deciliter.

Your body contains two main types of cholesterol: HDL, or high-density lipoproteins, and LDL, low-density lipoproteins. If your blood has a high concentration of LDL cholesterol, you may have a greater chance of having a stroke or heart attack.

Foods containing low density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol are animal-based and/or commercially-prepared products. LDL cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association, is found in foods containing saturated and/or trans fats. Saturated fats are found in animal-based products.