Cholesterol is a building block for complex chemicals!
It is produced in many types of cells and is necessary for our bodies to function normally!!
SOME FACTS ABOUT CHOLESTEROL:
We synthesize about 3,000 to 4,000 mg. of cholesterol per day and receive a smaller amount from our food, mainly from animal fats.
The Adrenal glands contain the highest concentration of cholesterol of any tissue in the body! Cholesterol is the starting material for the synthesis of adrenal hormones.
The body must have cholesterol to make Vital Hormones,... pituitary hormones, adrenal hormones, DHEA, pregnenolone and sex hormones, including estrogen--female hormones, and testosterone--male hormones.
Don't "cholesterol-proof" your children! Will they have enough of these necessary hormones to develop properly?
All tissue synthesize cholesterol but only that produced in the liver reaches the blood...
The Brain and spinal cord account for only two percent of body weight, and yet they account for one-fourth of the total cholesterol in the body.
The brain uses cholesterol to make neurotransmitters that conduct nerve impulses throughout the body. Cholesterol is an important bulding block of the insulation around nerves, and ensures nerve impulses are conducted appropriately.
Your skin excretes excessive cholesterol
by the normal, daily sloughing off of cells.
The ultraviolet rays of the sun on exposed skin converts cholesterol to vitamin D-3.
Cholesterol is the protective, insoluble skin molecule that resists water and prevents maceration (the softening and wearing away of skin in water.)
80 percent of our cholesterol is made from fats, protein, and carbohydrates within the liver and intestines. All tissues synthesize cholesterol but only the cholesterol produced in the liver reaches the
The remaining 20 percent comes from dietary sources.
If blood cholesterol rises above a certain level, the excess is converted into bile and excreted in the stool.
Blood cells are formed in the Bone Marrow from existing Cholesterol stores
When you have your blood tested, you will typically get three readings expressed in milligrams per deciliter.
!. one test for total or serum cholesterol.
2. one test for HDL cholesterol
3. one test for triglycerides
"Serum cholesterol"
Below 200 is considered safe and normal.
Your triglyceride level should be below 200.
LDL (the dangerous cholesterol) should be below 130.
Ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (good) cholesterol :
For men, 4.2 to 7.3 is average. For women, 3.9 to 5.7 is average. In general, any ratio reading below 4 (which means you have more HDL relative to your total cholesterol is good.
Cholesterol DAMAGE OCCURS when *free radicals* are taken up by white blood cells "Macrophages" and deposited in "fatty streaks" on artery walls. This fosters *plaque* buildup in the arteries and is the key in the development of heart disease! FreeRadicals.html
