Contact Us Glossary Book Previous Page Next Page Site Help Disclaimer Cholesterol Present in the tissue of all animals, cholesterol is needed by the body as a structural element in all cell membranes, a building block for some hormones and many other important functions. The problem is having too much of this white, fat-like waxy material. The liver and other organs of most people produce between 500 and 1000 milligrams of cholesterol a day, which is usually more than the body needs. The extra amount is filtered out. Adding cholesterol in our diet is seldom necessary.
All animal products contain cholesterol.
When meat, fish, fowl, eggs or dairy products are eaten, additional cholesterol is added to that which we make ourselves, and often this is more than the body's cholesterol filtering system can eliminate. When the VLDL releases triglycerides, the bubble becomes smaller and then carries the cholesterol to the cells for metabolism. LDL is often called bad cholesterol, since it adds to the total cholesterol already in the bloodstream. When there is more cholesterol than is needed by the cells, the liver's LDL receptors try to filter it out to be excreted as waste. Saturated fats can prevent these LDL receptors from doing their job.