Posts Tagged ‘vascular diseases’
What is Cholesterol and Why It Matters?
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty substance from two sources: their own body and some foods. The liver makes the cholesterol necessary and sufficient for the normal functioning of the body.
The body uses cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D and bile acids that help digest fat. It takes only a small amount of cholesterol in the blood to meet these needs.
Cholesterol is the main sterol in the human body and precursor of all other steroids body. It is part of cell membranes, lipoproteins, bile acids and steroid hormones.
Cholesterol is an important constituent of gallstones, but its main pathological feature, is for the production of atherosclerosis of vital arteries causing heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.
The animal-derived foods are rich in cholesterol, especially eggs, dairy and meat. Most of this is in esterified form.
The body absorbs about half the cholesterol content in the diet. Plant sterols are poorly absorbed by the body.