Cholesterol Cholesterol Cholesterol is a type of fat. It is an essential element of all the cells of our body especially the cells of the brain, spinal cord and nerves. It also helps manufacture our body's supply of sex hormones and it forms a protective layer in the skin to prevent the loss of body moisture into the air and absorption of dangerous solvents into the blood. Cholesterol comes from a variety of sources. Although we get cholesterol in foods we eat, most of the cholesterol in our bodies is produced in the liver.
Blood carries cholesterol from the gut or the liver to the various tissues where it is needed.
To facilitate its transport in the blood, cholesterol is carried bound to protein particles called lipoproteins. It can only do this after it has been altered or oxidized by chemicals in the blood called free radicals. It is the oxidized LDL that causes the damage. There are other types of fats, called triglycerides, found in your blood. It has not been proven if high levels of triglycerides increase the risk of getting coronary heart disease.