- Cholesterol is transported to the cell membranes as cholesteryl esters. It can be used to synthesise or repair the membranes.
- The cholesteryl esters can be stored in the liver.
- If cholesterol builds up in the arteries the blood flow is restricted. If an artery is completely blocked then a heart attack results. This is called atherosclerosis, which comes from the greek words for "hard" and "porridge".
 | A partially blocked artery. The build up along the inside of the artery walls is mainly composed of cholesterol. |
- Very little cholesterol is actually excreted as most is recycled back to the liver. The cholesterol that is excreted is first converted to the water soluble bile acids or bile salts.
- Cholesterol is the main component of gall stones and it was from a gall stone that cholesterol was first isolated in 1788 by A.Green.