Cholesterol Information

What Is Cholesterol & Why Do You Need It?

This cholesterol information will expose the myths about cholesterol and enlighten you to why you need this beneficial substance to survive. It is not as bad as you may have been lead to believe, although high levels are of course risky.

Cholesterol is an essential lipid or fat that is used by the body to manufacture vitamin D, hormones such as testosterone and estrogen, and is used to repair cell membranes. It is also part of a molecule that helps direct embryonic development and has the ability to bind mycotoxins from fungus in the body.

One of the greatest myths about this fat is that high levels in the body can come from foods, like eggs. While 15% of cholesterol does come from our diet, the liver makes 85%, and fats stimulate its production. Intestinal cells, and other body cells also make some. Cholesterol leaves the body thru bile salts that are used during digestion.

Cholesterol is actually an alcohol, not a fat as most people think, but it does not behave like an alcohol. Its many hydrogen and carbon atoms are put together in a three dimensional network which is impossible to dissolve in water. This indissolubility is used by all living things to make cells waterproof. The use of waterproof cells is a necessity for the normal functioning and conducting of electricity throughout the central nervous system. For this very reason, most of it is found in the brain and the central nervous system.

Because of this insolubility, it is carried thru our tissue cells bound to lipid protein complexes or lipoprotein's that are made mostly from proteins that are water-soluble. The inside of these lipoprotein's all contain lipids and phospholipids that have the ability to also carry the molecule. The higher the amount of lipids in the lipoprotein, the lower its density is, and the greater the amount of proteins in the lipoprotein's, the higher the density is. This is why there are high-density lipoprotein's-HDL, low-density lipoprotein's-LDL, and very low-density lipoprotein's-VLDL.

The VLDLs transport triglyceride's from the liver to the peripheral tissues, mostly fat tissue.

The HDLs transport excess cholesterol from peripheral tissue to the liver, where it is broken down and becomes part of bile to be used by the digestive system, and excreted as waste thru the colon. Or, it provides a starting point for the manufacture of hormones, such as testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone, and is carried to the ovaries, testes, and the adrenal glands. Only 15 to 20% of cholesterol is transported by HDL and is called good cholesterol. An HDL level of 35 - 60 is considered OK, but levels above 60 are thought to protect against heart disease.

Remember The Cholesterol Information In The Next Two Paragraphs

The LDL's transport cholesterol from the liver to peripheral tissues, including the artery walls, for membrane or hormone synthesis and storage. LDL has the ability to deliver the cholesterol to the inside of the cell that requested it. LDL is also responsible for up to 80% of the cholesterol transported in the blood. Because LDL transports it into the body, it is called bad cholesterol, unless of course it is keeping you alive.

LDL levels above 160 are considered bad because they have the potential to stick to the walls of the arteries. However, LDL does not easily stick to the arteries but there is one particular LDL lipoprotein that does. This particular form of LDL seems to promote plaque formation (for a reason) that stiffens and thickens the artery walls. This lipoprotein is said to be a risk factor for heart disease in people with high LDL levels. What is interesting is high LDL levels are actually less of a risk factor than low LDL levels but with high lipoprotein levels. Its called lipoprotein A.

The ratio of cholesterol to HDL ratio should be no higher than 4, and the ratio of HDL to LDL should be no higher than 2.5. Ratios above these levels increase the risk of heart disease and indicate a possible depositing along the artery walls.

Studies have indicated there is a risk of having levels that are to low that can cause cerebral hemorrhage and bleeding strokes. Levels below 190 for men and 178 for females are considered risk factors for these killing conditions. Serotonin levels in the brain are usually reduced in people with abnormally low levels. Serotonin is a mood-controlling hormone, low levels have been found in people that suffer from depression, panic disorder, suicidal tendencies, and increased criminal violence. Clinical trials involved raising levels and resulted in recovery from the above symptoms.

Low levels have also been associated with increased mortality from cancer. Men with low levels have also been found to have a less than adequate immune function for good health. They had less t-cells, lymphocytes, and fewer cd8+ cells circulating in their bodies.

Cholesterol is an essential substance for good health and without it you would die. It is essential for hormone production, particularly sex hormones, and to maintain healthy brain function. It is a possibility that low levels could also be causing impotence in many men that are taking statin drugs, although no one has run a study yet to prove it.

I hope you found this cholesterol information valuable and remember the two paragraphs above since they have a lot to do with the natural cure for high cholesterol. The question is; why did the arterial cells request the LDL cholesterol with high lipoprotein A levels that will stick to the artery walls?

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