 |
|
Everyone knows that cholesterol is bad for you. It blocks up arteries and they now sell the margerine substitute Benecol which actually reduces the amount of cholesterol in the body. But not everyone knows that a large amount of the brain is made of cholesterol, so we would die without it.
 | Cholesterol forms a major part of the brain |
The term "cholesterol" is used for both the cholesterol you eat (dietary cholesterol) and the cholesterol produced in your body. Your liver makes about 80 percent of the cholesterol in your blood (blood cholesterol). Only about 20 percent comes from your diet. Animal products that you eat, such as meat and dairy foods, contain dietary cholesterol. Vegetables do not. Cholesterol is in every cell in your body, and every cell needs it. You can't live without cholesterol, which is one type of the fat-like substances (lipids) in your blood. Among the essential roles of cholesterol: helping insulate nerves, producing certain hormones and helping your liver make bile acids.
