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Cholesterol Explained

You almost never hear of the word cholesterol being used in a good context. Millions of Americans live with the anxiety that their cholesterol might be too high and that it could lead to heart disease. There's more to cholesterol than simply playing the villain, and if you understand it better, you can control it better.

  1. What is Cholesterol?

    • Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in blood lipids. It helps form cell membranes and some hormones, vitamin D and the bile acids that help digest fat. Cholesterol can't dissolve in the blood. It has to be transported by lipoproteins. LDL cholesterol tends to clog arteries while HDL cholesterol is an effective mover of cholesterol. Exercise increases the size of the lipoproteins that carry cholesterol through the blood. The lipoproteins move easier, the larger they are, which means they are less likely to coat an artery wall and form plaque.

    Where Does Cholesterol Come From?

    • You ingest cholesterol when you eat animal-source foods, but your body also produces it. Cholesterol is produced in the liver, which makes anywhere from 700 to 1,200 mg. per day. Smaller amounts are also produced in the intestines and body cells.

    How Is It Made?

    • The liver breaks down acetyl-CoA and then converts the acetyl into different types of carbon molecules until it becomes cholesterol. The steps are: acetyl-CoA to mevalonate to isopentenyl pyrophosphate to squalene to cholesterol. Your body is able to produce all of the cholesterol it needs to function. When your cholesterol level is tested, 85 percent of the measurement is actually from cholesterol your body produced.

    How Much Is Too Much?

    • Though cholesterol is necessary, it isn't necessary in large amounts. The measurement of blood-cholesterol levels tells your doctor how much fat is in your blood. The measurement is in milligrams per deciliter or mg/dL. Aim to have your measurement be less than 200 mg/dL. Borderline high is considered between 200 and 239 mg/dL. High is considered 240 mg/dL and above. If your measurement is high or borderline high, action should be taken to lower your cholesterol level.

    Functions

    • Cholesterol is a structural antioxidant and is essential in helping cell membranes maintain their shapes. It is needed for proper brain function and in manufacturing bile, metabolizing fat-soluble vitamins and maintaining hormone balance, including sex hormones. Cholesterol reacts with UVB rays to help make vitamin D.

    Risk Factors

    • Being overweight is a risk factor for high cholesterol. If you are eating the wrong types of foods (high in saturated fats) you will put yourself at risk for high cholesterol. High cholesterol can run in families through a genetic condition called familial hypercholesterolemia. Beginning with puberty, men begin to have lower HDL levels than women, and women have lower LDL levels then men. As both sexes age, their LDL levels rise. By age 55, women typically have higher LDL levels than men.

    What Affects Cholesterol Levels?

    • Exercise, adopting a healthier, balanced diet, losing weight and quitting smoking can all help you quickly improve your cholesterol levels. In your diet, avoid animal-source foods (meats and dairy products). They contain cholesterol. Plant-source foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes) contain no cholesterol. A cholesterol-lowering diet should include as much plant-source foods as possible and minimal animal-source foods, and the animal-source foods should be low-fat. Seek to limit your daily cholesterol intake to 300 mg or less. If you already have high cholesterol in your blood, strive for even lower limits.

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