Cholesterol
Cholesterol is found in all animal cells and is a vital component. It fulfills various tasks in the human organism: It is built into the membrane (i.e. shell) of human cells. It is also the precursor of the so-called steroid hormones such as testosterone or estrogen.
It is the most important component of bile acids and is involved in the absorption of fat from food. It is also a precursor of vitamin D, which is activated by UV light. In order to be transported in the blood, cholesterol is coupled to certain proteins, the so-called lipoproteins.
The “good” protein HDL is the cholesterol that is transported to the liver to be broken down there. The “bad” LDL transports the fats from the liver to the rest of the body cells. HDL and LDL must be in a certain ratio to each other, which is why they are determined in a blood analysis in addition to the total cholesterol.
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