Cholesterol Cholesterol Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like substance found in all your body's cells. It's a key part of a healthy body, because it's used to form cell membranes, some hormones and other needed tissues. But it can be a problem if you have too much of it in your body.
Cholesterol comes from two sources.
It's made in your body, mostly in the liver. It's also found in foods from animals, such as meats, poultry, fish, seafood and dairy products. The liver and tissues that form cell membranes and other products use some LDL-cholesterol. When a person has too much LDL-cholesterol circulating in the blood, it can slowly build up in the walls of arteries feeding the heart and brain. Together with other substances, it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can clog these arteries.