A concise description of lipids, the fats or fat-like substances found in plants and animals. Current cholesterol guidelines are also briefly outlined.
Lipids are fats or fat-like substances found in plants and animals.
Cholesterol is an important lipid, which in spite of its bad press, is an essential nutrient necessary for repairing cell membranes, manufacturing vitamin D on the skin's surface, and creating hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone. The body acquires some cholesterol through diet, but about two-thirds is manufactured in the liver, its production stimulated by saturated fat. Cholesterol and some other lipids, including triglycerides, are transported in the blood packed in sphere-shaped bodies called lipoproteins. LDL does, however, penetrate the walls of the artery where it can interact dangerously through a process called oxidation, caused by unstable molecules called oxygen-free radicals. These particles are released naturally during the body's chemical processes and increase when the body is exposed to environmental toxins, such as cigarette smoke.