This is part I of a 2-part blog. With cholesterol having acquired such a bad name for itself, and considering that together with some necessary many unnecessary cholesterol medications are being prescribed every day, it seemed like a good idea to re-familiarize the reader with the two faces of cholesterol; the good and the bad, alike. We would definitely have it all wrong, if we viewed cholesterol only as an enemy to good health that needs eliminating.
Cholesterol is a fat, which is an essential structural component of all the membranes in the body. In fact, the human brain is to a large extent made of cholesterol. How important cholesterol is to the body is highlighted by the fact that virtually each and every cell is equipped to manufacture its own cholesterol, if and when required. Under normal circumstances about 60% of the body’s cholesterol is synthesized by the liver, and only 40% is supplemented from the outside through food intake.
Cholesterol is so essential to the body that without it the body cannot function at all, let alone properly.
Here are some of the other services cholesterol is rendering within the body:
- It keeps the cell membranes of the body intact, allowing for flexibility, thus making sure that they are neither too rigid nor too fluid.
- Thereby cholesterol ascertains that both cells and organs keep their distinctive shape while allowing for minor changes depending on water content and momentary function.
- Within the cell membrane cholesterol also functions in intracellular transport, cell signaling and nerve conduction.
- It provides a protective coating to the arteries and their surrounding walls. In this way, cholesterol keeps infectious agents that are always in the blood from causing organ damage.
- It acts as a precursor to all steroids in the body, i.e. corticosteroids, sex hormones (estrogens, progesterone and testosterone), vitamin D and bile acids.
- It therefore contributes to the regulation and control of both libido and fertility.
- Cholesterol plays a vital role in the digestion of fats, as it helps the liver to form bile acids, which in turn are secreted into the intestines, where they are used to mix fat with water soluble enzymes in order to digest them. It is also responsible for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K.
- Through its role in the formation of vitamin D cholesterol helps in building strong bones and strengthening our immune system. (Vitamin D has now been proven to be essential for fighting infections and cancer cells in the body.)
- Recent research indicates that cholesterol also act as an anti-oxidant.
- Cholesterol is thus necessary for the body’s energy and vitality.
The question then is, if it is so important, even crucial to the body’s proper function how come that it acquired such a poor reputation?
This question is going to be explored in the next blog, where we will also investigate why we should be weary of trying to eliminate it completely.