Cholesterol
Purpose of Cholesterol in the Body...
As a vital part of the body's chemistry, cholesterol is used to:
- produce the steroid hormones required for normal development and functioning, include the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone and testosterone which trigger development of the physical traits of adult women and men; they also play a role in reproduction.
(Decreased testosterone results in decreased libido, fatigue, and general depression of mood and androgen supplements can restore normal libido in men (Mahmoud, 2006).)
- produce cortisol, involved in regulating blood-sugar levels and defending the body against infection
- aldosterone, important for retaining salt and water
- make a significant amount of vitamin D Since cholesterol is a precursor to vitamin D, inhibiting the synthesis of cholesterol will also inhibit the synthesis of vitamin D.
- make bile (in the liver, stored in the gallbladder) to digest foods that contain fat. Bile acts as an emulsifier -- it breaks down large globules of fat into smaller particles so they can mix better with the enzymes that digest fat.
Once the fat is digested, bile helps the body to absorb it. Bile in the intestines is required before cholesterol can be absorbed from foods. Bile needed to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K, called fat-soluble vitamins
Your body has the ability to make all the cholesterol it needs for these various functions. A diet that contains animal products, however, also supplies cholesterol to the body. In an effort to balance these two sources of cholesterol, your body adjusts the amount it produces each day.
Your body can eliminate some excess cholesterol through bile. Whenever bile is released into the intestine, a portion of it is absorbed back into the body to be used again. The remaining bile is excreted in the feces. To help maintain the cholesterol balance, the body can dissolve excess cholesterol in the bile and can also convert more cholesterol into bile acids so that the cholesterol will be excreted with the feces.
- produce the steroid hormones required for normal development and functioning, include the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone and testosterone which trigger development of the physical traits of adult women and men; they also play a role in reproduction.
(Decreased testosterone results in decreased libido, fatigue, and general depression of mood and androgen supplements can restore normal libido in men (Mahmoud, 2006).)
- produce cortisol, involved in regulating blood-sugar levels and defending the body against infection
- aldosterone, important for retaining salt and water
- make a significant amount of vitamin D Since cholesterol is a precursor to vitamin D, inhibiting the synthesis of cholesterol will also inhibit the synthesis of vitamin D.
- make bile (in the liver, stored in the gallbladder) to digest foods that contain fat. Bile acts as an emulsifier -- it breaks down large globules of fat into smaller particles so they can mix better with the enzymes that digest fat.
Once the fat is digested, bile helps the body to absorb it. Bile in the intestines is required before cholesterol can be absorbed from foods. Bile needed to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K, called fat-soluble vitamins
Your body has the ability to make all the cholesterol it needs for these various functions. A diet that contains animal products, however, also supplies cholesterol to the body. In an effort to balance these two sources of cholesterol, your body adjusts the amount it produces each day.
Your body can eliminate some excess cholesterol through bile. Whenever bile is released into the intestine, a portion of it is absorbed back into the body to be used again. The remaining bile is excreted in the feces. To help maintain the cholesterol balance, the body can dissolve excess cholesterol in the bile and can also convert more cholesterol into bile acids so that the cholesterol will be excreted with the feces.
...and also in the Brain
Cholesterol is found in every cell of your body and is especially abundant in the cell's membranes, where it helps maintain membrane integrity and facilitates cell signaling.
Cholesterol synthesis increases during sleep - sleep is beneficial to mental functioning.
Cholesterol is abundant in the tissue of the brain and nervous system. Myelin, which covers nerve axons to help conduct the electrical impulses that make movement, sensation, thinking, learning, and remembering possible, is over one fifth cholesterol by weight.3
Even though the brain only makes up 2% of the body's weight, it contains 25% of its cholesterol.
Tthe formation of synapses (connections between neurons) is directly dependent on the availability of cholesterol. The formation of these synapses are what give us the ability to remember and learn. The benefits of sleep for memory formation and learning are in part a result of increased cholesterol synthesis during sleep.
The implications are important and powerful. In our society's quest to lower cholesterol at all costs and without second thought, could some of the methods we use, such as taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, or eating low-fat, low-cholesterol diets, be limiting the availability of cholesterol to our nervous system?
Cholesterol synthesis increases during sleep - sleep is beneficial to mental functioning.
Cholesterol is abundant in the tissue of the brain and nervous system. Myelin, which covers nerve axons to help conduct the electrical impulses that make movement, sensation, thinking, learning, and remembering possible, is over one fifth cholesterol by weight.3
Even though the brain only makes up 2% of the body's weight, it contains 25% of its cholesterol.
Tthe formation of synapses (connections between neurons) is directly dependent on the availability of cholesterol. The formation of these synapses are what give us the ability to remember and learn. The benefits of sleep for memory formation and learning are in part a result of increased cholesterol synthesis during sleep.
The implications are important and powerful. In our society's quest to lower cholesterol at all costs and without second thought, could some of the methods we use, such as taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, or eating low-fat, low-cholesterol diets, be limiting the availability of cholesterol to our nervous system?
Lipoproteins
A lipoprotein is a biochemical assembly that contains both proteins and lipids, bound to the proteins, which allow fats to move through the water inside and outside cells. The proteins serve to emulsify the lipid (otherwise called fat) molecules. Many enzymes, transporters, structural proteins, antigens, adhesins, and toxins are lipoproteins.
Lipids - Although the term lipid is sometimes used as a synonym for fats, fats are a subgroup of lipids called triglycerides. Lipids also encompass molecules such as fatty acids and their derivatives (including tri-, di-,monoglycerides, and phospholipids), as well as other sterol-containing metabolites such as cholesterol.[7]
Lipids - Although the term lipid is sometimes used as a synonym for fats, fats are a subgroup of lipids called triglycerides. Lipids also encompass molecules such as fatty acids and their derivatives (including tri-, di-,monoglycerides, and phospholipids), as well as other sterol-containing metabolites such as cholesterol.[7]
Calculating Ratios and Results
Calculating tool
Triglyceride/HDL ratio info This is best indicator of actual risk. The triglyceride/HDL-"good" cholesterol ratio should be below 2 (just divide your triglycerides level by your HDL).
Triglyceride/HDL ratio info This is best indicator of actual risk. The triglyceride/HDL-"good" cholesterol ratio should be below 2 (just divide your triglycerides level by your HDL).
Testing
A more comprehensive test, the vertical auto profile (VAP) test, was developed. The VAP test directly measures LDLs, as well as many other lipoproteins in the bloodstream, rather than just HDL, LDL and triglycerides. While the standard test measures four components, the VAP test measures 15 components. Because the VAP test provides so much more information, it can help determine more risk factors for individuals with a family history of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure.