If you're like me and have really high cholesterol, you've probably asked yourself a number of questions such as; "How do I lower it? What are the risks of high cholesterol? And what is cholesterol anyway??" Most people focus their attention on ways of lowering cholesterol without ever really knowing what cholesterol is. While you certainly don't need to know, being able to answer the question 'what is cholesterol?' may at least give you some better insights on why its important to keep it low, and how. If not, it may at least help prepare you for a spot on Jeopardy.
From the organic chemistry point of view, cholesterol is an aerobic chemical compound, sounds complex doesn't it? Well to continue, it is also hydrophobic in nature (doesn't like water). And, so? You might be asking. Perhaps a better way of putting it would be to explain how cholesterol works in the body.
A better way to answer 'what is cholesterol?' is to focus on what it does. The chief purpose of cholesterol is to provide animal cell membranes with a fluid, flexible quality. Unlike plant cells, which are rigid, animal cells have to be able to bend and stretch without breaking. Animal cell membranes consist of two layers of lipids, each with a hydrophilic head and long, hydrophilic tail. The heads orient themselves towards the watery cell interior, and the watery exterior of the cell, while the tails line up in the relatively water free center. Cholesterol, which is mostly hydrophobic, thus prefers being in the center area of the membrane, and is small enough to flow through this center area freely. The flow of cholesterol molecules through the interior areas of a cell membrane provides the membrane with flexibility.
From this we conclude that the presence of cholesterol is vital to the life of an animal. Cholesterol is carried through the body on lipoprotein carriers, the most important are HDL and LDL. LDL or low-density lipoproteins are the dangerous ones. When LDL levels are high, there is a great risk of them clogging arteries.
In terms of "what is cholesterol" it is not actually the cholesterol that is the risk factor it is the LDL. Cholesterol is an essential building block in the body; it is produced by the liver and is responsible for the manufacture of various hormones. The liver is able to produce all the cholesterol our bodies will ever need. Therefore you can never ever eat too little cholesterol as we don't actually need to eat it for our body to produce it. So now you know the answer to the question "what is cholesterol?
From the organic chemistry point of view, cholesterol is an aerobic chemical compound, sounds complex doesn't it? Well to continue, it is also hydrophobic in nature (doesn't like water). And, so? You might be asking. Perhaps a better way of putting it would be to explain how cholesterol works in the body.
A better way to answer 'what is cholesterol?' is to focus on what it does. The chief purpose of cholesterol is to provide animal cell membranes with a fluid, flexible quality. Unlike plant cells, which are rigid, animal cells have to be able to bend and stretch without breaking. Animal cell membranes consist of two layers of lipids, each with a hydrophilic head and long, hydrophilic tail. The heads orient themselves towards the watery cell interior, and the watery exterior of the cell, while the tails line up in the relatively water free center. Cholesterol, which is mostly hydrophobic, thus prefers being in the center area of the membrane, and is small enough to flow through this center area freely. The flow of cholesterol molecules through the interior areas of a cell membrane provides the membrane with flexibility.
From this we conclude that the presence of cholesterol is vital to the life of an animal. Cholesterol is carried through the body on lipoprotein carriers, the most important are HDL and LDL. LDL or low-density lipoproteins are the dangerous ones. When LDL levels are high, there is a great risk of them clogging arteries.
In terms of "what is cholesterol" it is not actually the cholesterol that is the risk factor it is the LDL. Cholesterol is an essential building block in the body; it is produced by the liver and is responsible for the manufacture of various hormones. The liver is able to produce all the cholesterol our bodies will ever need. Therefore you can never ever eat too little cholesterol as we don't actually need to eat it for our body to produce it. So now you know the answer to the question "what is cholesterol?
About the Author:
Dane Masters is an accomplished niche website author. to learn more about Avoiding Heart Bypass Surgery, please visit Drink for Healthy Joints for current articles and discussions.
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