Cholesterol are also Needed: 3 Main Roles
Cholesterol is the main fat (lipid) in the blood. It blocks arteries, causing angina and heart attacks. It is the most important and powerful cardiovascular risk factor. A high cholesterol level also increases the risk of having a stroke (lack of blood supply and oxygen to the brain, causing paralysis of one side of the body and sometimes loss of speech). The higher the cholesterol level, the higher the risk of coronary heart disease. The lower the cholesterol, the better and the lower the risk of getting coronary heart disease and clogging in the brain and leg arteries. If cholesterol more having disadvantages instead of benefits for human’s health, then why we still need it?
It is true that our body needs cholesterol for several purposes, but not too much. The blood fats are called lipids. There are several blood fats or lipids circulating in the blood. Cholesterol is the main cause of blockages in the arteries. Although it causes problems when it gets deposited in the walls of the arteries, we cannot live without it.
Cholesterol has three main roles, here are the roles:
- Cholesterol is an essential part of our cell walls.
- Cholesterol is one of the chemicals used to make sex hormones (e.g., testosterone) and other steroid-containing hormones like cortisol.
- Cholesterol is also a component of bile acids, which are made in the liver and allow us to digest and absorb fats from the diet.
Those three main roles above are the reason why human body still needs cholesterol at certain level. The excess level of cholesterol in blood is a big risk for having heart attack, so it should be controlled.
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