We have all heard about cholesterol in the news. Cholesterol affects the health of everyone in the world. In order to put our cholesterol levels into equilibrium you first must know what cholesterol is.Cholesterol is a lipid, a soft, fat like substance that in reasonable amounts is crucial in maintaining good health. Cholesterol serves numerous functions imperative to the survival of the human body. The body uses cholesterol to build new cells and repair old cell membranes. Cholesterol is used to insulate nerves. It helps with the production of hormones such as testosterone, and estrogen. Cholesterol manufactures vitamin D at the skin surface. Cholesterol is even used to make bile (substance which aids digestion). (Waller, 1998)The liver produces most of the bodys cholesterol. In our body the liver produces cholesterol when stimulated by saturated fats that we ingest. These fats come from animal products that we eat, such as meat, poultry, seafood, dairy products, and eggs. The liver then transports the cholesterol throughout the body.Cholesterol is transported throughout the body in blood packed spherical bodies called lipoproteins. There are about five different types of lipoproteins but there are two main types associated with cholesterol. The first type is low-density lipoproteins also known as LDLs, and high-density lipoproteins known as HDLs. (Health Pages, 1998)You may have heard that some cholesterol is good for you and that other cholesterol is bad for you, this is when lipoproteins come into play. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are considered the bad cholesterol. LDLs carry seventy-five percent of the blood cholesterol. Therefore high-density lipoproteins (HDL) are considered good cholesterol. HDLs carry about twenty-five percent of the bloods cholesterol. (Cleveland Clinic, 2000)LDLs are large lipoproteins that are not very dense; they also never leave the body. LDLs are only bad when there are large amounts present in the...
