Cholesterol: The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Cholesterol has become a dirty word in the world of medicine today but many people actually forget how important cholesterol is to the processes of our body.
Cholesterol makes up the border or membrane of every one of our cells. Its double layer allows for nutrients to be transported in and out of the cells in an organized way.
Cholesterol is necessary to produce many things in our body like Vitamin D, steroid hormones (your sex hormones: estrogen, progesterone, testosterone. etc), and bile acids (which break down fats).
Cholesterol is produced in our liver which increases and decreases production according to the amount of cholesterol rich foods we eat.
Think of your circulatory system like a large airport.
You know how oil and water don’t mix well together? Well the same is true for cholesterol and blood. So in order for cholesterol to move from one place to another, it must wear a coat of a sort. This coat is known as a lipoprotein. You will know these protein coats according to their initials, HDL and LDL. HDL and LDL aren’t cholesterol but the wrappers or coats that allow for cholesterol to move through the body. Their independent functions are important because their amounts give us a snapshot of what is happening in the body.
HDL, aka high-density lipoprotein is responsible for mopping up excess cholesterol and bringing it to the liver for disposal. That is why we call it “good” or “healthy” cholesterol. Think of it like the janitors sweeping up the hallways at the airport
LDL, aka low-density lipoprotein has the job of transporting cholesterol and fat from the liver to the rest of the body where we use those fats to build or maintain cell membranes, make hormones, or for storage. It is what we have come to know as “bad” or lousy cholesterol. The thing is that LDL is actually very important for the body but the problem arises when there is more or less LDL than is needed for the jobs required. When your think too much, think of the travelers in that airport if all the trash cans were full and they had no where to deposit their trash. When you think too little, think of the airports during spring of 2020, no travelers at all and the planes become grounded.
