What Are Reasons the Body Needs Cholesterol?

High cholesterol is something that many people, particularly those in America, find themselves struggling with every day. With all of the medications and the attention brought to the problems of having too much cholesterol though, people haven't been properly educated on just what cholesterol's purpose is, and what the reasons are that the human body needs it in the first place.

Brain Matter

• Something that most people don't know is that cholesterol is essentially to the construction and maintenance of the brain. The brain is mostly made up of fatty tissues, and a portion of the brain is composed of cholesterol. This function alone makes cholesterol an essential part of living.

Cells

• Every cell in the human body possesses a cell membrane. This cell membrane regulates what materials come into the cell, and what leaves the cell, which keeps things in the body balances. Cholesterol is one of the substances that the body uses to build these cell membranes which maintain a person's health and regularity.

Hormones

• Cholesterol is also used as one of the building blocks for certain hormones. This is particularly true of male sex hormone testosterone, and the adrenal hormone cortisone.

Nerves

• Cholesterol is used by the body during the construction and repair of synapses. These are the gaps in the nervous system where electrical impulses fire, and transmit messages throughout the body. The nervous system is essential for the continuation of a person's life.

Babies

• One of the most vital functions of cholesterol takes place before a person is even born. Once an egg has been properly fertilized and begins growing into a fetus, cholesterol becomes very important. During this developmental phase, cholesterol directs the development of certain cells in the fetus, helping it grow properly.