Cholesterol What Is It and Are You At Risk?
Cholesterol is a fatty lipid, steroid and an alcohol found in the body tissues and blood plasma of vertebrates. It is the essential part of the outer membranes of human body cells, and it circulates in the blood.
Cholesterol in the human body comes from two major sources. About three-quarters of the bodys total cholesterol is produced within the body, while only one-quarter comes from cholesterol in food.
Higher concentrations of cholesterol are present in body tissues which have more densely packed membranes i.e. the liver, spinal cord, brain, atheroma, adrenal glands and reproductive organs.
The liver is the most important site of cholesterol biosynthesis. It is secreted from the liver in the form of an acidic secretion known as bile.
Diets rich in animal fats, meat, poultry, fish, oils, egg yolks and dairy products are a rich source of dietary cholesterol. Organ meats, such as liver and kidney, are extremely rich in cholesterol content, but foods of plant origin contain no cholesterol.
High cholesterol levels in the bloodstream can influence the pathogenesis of certain conditions....