We hear a lot about cholesterol these days. The information is often confusing and sometimes contradictory.
Cholesterol is an odourless, waxy, fat-like substance of animal origin.
It is important to the structure of cells and is found in all cells in the body. Cholesterol, like fat, does not dissolve in water. The movement of cholesterol on these lipoprotein carriers is a little like traffic in a busy city centre, with different vehicles carrying different cargo to different places. In most people, two-thirds of all the cholesterol in blood is carried on LDLs, which are thought to carry cholesterol into the cells and are associated with coronary artery disease. HDLs carry cholesterol out of the cells and back to the liver, where it is properly disposed of.