This is a worrying condition which requires constant monitoring and medical attention to correct it. For such people the battle against cholesterol is never-ending because they are prone to heart disease. The rest of us are lucky by comparison, but that is little comfort to many people who now fear that they too are at risk unless they can reduce the amount of cholesterol in their blood. If you find your blood cholesterol level is too high you can generally reduce it by following the advice of a trained dietitian, which generally means eating less fat and more fibre, and especially soluble fibre. In particular it is an essential component of cell membranes.
Cholesterol also stabilizes a cell against temperature changes.
It is a major part of the membranes of the nervous system, the brain, the spinal cord and the peripheral nerves. In particular it is incorporated into the myelin sheath that insulates the nerves from the surrounding tissue. Cholesterol is also the forerunner of important hormones such as the female sex hormone, oestradiol , and the male sex hormone, testosterone , and of vitamin D , which we need in order to utilize calcium and form bone. Nearly all body tissues are capable of making cholesterol, but the liver and intestines make the most. We require cholesterol to produce the bile we need to digest the fats in our food, and the name itself comes from the Greek words for 'bile solids'.