Cholesterol
hideCholesterol is a lipidic, waxy steroid found in the cell membranes and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. It is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes where it is required to establish proper membrane permeability and fluidity. Cholesterol is the principal sterol synthesized by animals, but small quantities are synthesized in other eukaryotes, such as plants and fungi. It is almost completely absent among prokaryotes, which include bacteria. Cholesterol is classified as a sterol.
Since cholesterol is essential for life, it is primarily synthesized de novo within the body. However excessive levels of cholesterol in blood circulation are strongly associated with progression of atherosclerosis. For an adult, typical total body cholesterol synthesis is about 1 gram per day (less if dietary intake is high) and total body cholesterol content is about 35 g. Average dietary intake in western societies is 0.2 - 0.3 grams. Cholesterol is excreted by the liver via the bile into the digestive tract. Typically about 50% of the excreted cholesterol is reabsorbed by the small bowel back into the blood stream.
The name cholesterol originates from the Greek chole- (bile) and stereos (solid), and the chemical suffix -ol for an alcohol, as François Poulletier de la Salle first identified cholesterol in solid form in gallstones, in 1769. However, it was only in 1815 that chemist Eugène Chevreul named the compound "cholesterine".
For more information about Cholesterol, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with cholesterol
Study suggests dentists can identify patients at risk for fatal cardiovascular event
Nov 05, 2009 |
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A new study indicates dentists can play a potentially life-saving role in health care by identifying patients at risk of fatal heart attacks and referring them to physicians for further evaluation.
Scientists reveal a new mechanism that increases atherosclerosis in mice
Nov 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- For all the good it does, a liver protein that senses and gets rid of drugs and pollutants from our body has a downside. For the first time, it has been shown that when it is chronically activated, ...
Drug that increases good cholesterol reduces clogging of arteries
Nov 04, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A drug that raises levels of 'good' cholesterol, when taken in addition to standard statin therapy to lower 'bad' cholesterol, can reduce the furring up of arteries in patients with established ...
Low cholesterol may shrink risk for high-grade prostate cancer
Nov 03, 2009 |
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Men with lower cholesterol are less likely than those with higher levels to develop high-grade prostate cancer - an aggressive form of the disease with a poorer prognosis, according to results of a Johns Hopkins collaborative ...
FDA won't accept Merck's application for new drug
Medicine & Health / Medications
Nov 02, 2009 |
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(AP) -- U.S. regulators have refused to accept drugmaker Merck & Co.'s application for a new, combination cholesterol pill that includes rival Pfizer's Lipitor, the world's top-selling drug.
Can charcoal fight heart disease in kidney patients?
Nov 02, 2009 |
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Charcoal may provide a new approach to managing the high rate of heart disease in patients with advanced kidney disease, according to preliminary research being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual ...
Study: Cholesterol drugs may improve flu survival
Medicine & Health / Medications
Oct 29, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A new treatment for swine flu may already be on pharmacy shelves - cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Lipitor and Zocor.
Statins show dramatic drug and cell dependent effects in the brain
Oct 28, 2009 |
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Besides their tremendous value in treating high cholesterol and lowering the risk of heart disease, statins have also been reported to potentially lower the risks of other diseases, such as dementia. However, a study in the ...
Cholesterol-lowering medicines may be effective against cancer
Oct 27, 2009 |
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Millions of people around the world use medicines based on statins to lower their blood cholesterol, but new research from the University of Gothenburg, published in the prestigious journal PNAS, shows that s ...
Adding ezetimibe to atorvastatin improves lipid control
Oct 27, 2009 |
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Adding ezetimibe to atorvastatin significantly boosted the attainment of lipid targets as specified by both Canadian and European guidelines in elderly patients aged 65 and older and the combination produced superior results ...
Heart attacks become more common but less often fatal in women
Oct 26, 2009 |
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Heart attacks appear to have become more common in middle-aged women over the past two decades, but all women and especially those younger than 55 have recently experienced a greater increase than men in their chances of ...
Obesity may hinder optimal control of blood pressure and cholesterol
Oct 26, 2009 |
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Obese patients taking medications to lower their blood pressure and cholesterol levels are less likely to reach recommended targets for these cardiovascular disease risk factors than their normal weight counterparts, according ...
Latest analysis confirms suboptimal vitamin D levels in millions of US children
Oct 26, 2009 |
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Millions of children in the United States between the ages of 1 and 11 may suffer from suboptimal levels of vitamin D, according to a large nationally representative study published in the November issue of Pediatrics, accomp ...
Learning the risks for stroke -- and taking action
Oct 23, 2009 |
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The theme of this year's World Stroke Day on 29th October is "What can I do?". As the World Stroke Organization says, everyone can do something: learn to recognise symptoms and take action, learn to recognise the risk factors ...
Illness often undiscovered and undertreated among the uninsured
Oct 20, 2009 |
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A new study shows uninsured American adults with chronic illnesses like diabetes or high cholesterol often go undiagnosed and undertreated, leading to an increased risk of costly, disabling and even lethal complications of ...
