Cholesterol
Cholesterol is one of the three major fats (lipids) found in the body. The three major fats are cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids. Cholesterol is a soft, waxy, fat substance found in all the cells of the body as well as in the blood stream. Because cholesterol is a fatty substance it does not dissolve in water and does not mix in the bloodstream. Therefore for cholesterol or other fats to travel through the body it needs to be attached to a special protein called an apolipoprotein. The combination of cholesterol and one of these special proteins is called a lipoprotein. There are two types of these lipoproteins in the body that we need to look at when dealing with cholesterol. One is called LDL or low density lipoprotein and the other one is called HDL or high density lipoprotein. Both LDL and HDL are important for healthy functioning bodies.1
How do we get cholesterol?
Our bodies make 75% of our cholesterol in the liver. 25% or our cholesterol is taken into our bodies through some of the foods we eat.4
What is cholesterol good for?
Cholesterol serves many important functions in the body. Some of these functions are:
- Cholesterol is necessary for the body to make some hormones
- Cholesterol is used in making Vitamin D
- Cholesterol is used in producing some of the enzymes that help us break down food
- Cholesterol is used to form cell membranes in our bodies
Why do we need to be concerned about it?
LDL is the major cholesterol carrier in the blood. When our cholesterol, in the LDL form becomes too high it can build up on the walls of the arteries in our bodies. This build up can form hard, thick deposits attached to the blood vessel walls called plaques. When our arteries contain these plaques we are said to have artherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Sometimes a blood clot will form near one of these plaques that breaks resulting in a block in an artery and decreased blood flow to a part of the body. Depending on which artery is blocked the result may be a heart attack or a stroke.
Only one quarter to one third of our blood cholesterol comes in the form of HDL. It is believed that HDL removes excess cholesterol from the body by taking it back to the liver where it is broken down and passed from the body. Some experts believe HDL also removes some cholesterol from plaques slowing their growth and therefore protecting the body from heart disease and stroke.2
Therefore to have a healthy functioning body we need to have a healthy balance of low LDL (sometimes called "bad cholesterol") and a higher HDL (sometimes called "good cholesterol"). A third important fat called triglycerides which is also important to keep at the appropriate level is measured when our cholesterol levels are measured.