Michael and Mary Dan Eades, MDs, in their informative book PROTEIN POWER, offer an excellent overview of the life essential properties of cholesterol.

CHOLESTEROL PRIMER

The consensus on cholesterol seems to be the lower, the better , but as we shall see, this is not always the case. Far from being a health destroyer, cholesterol is absolutely essential for life.

Although most people think of it as being "fat in the blood," only 7 percent of the body's cholesterol is found there. In fact, cholesterol is not really fat at all; it's a pearly-colored, waxy, solid alcohol that is soapy to the touch. The bulk of the cholesterol in your body, the other 93 percent, is located in every cell of the body, where its unique waxy, soapy consitency provides the cell membranes with their structural integrity and regulates the flow of nutrients into and waste products out of the cells.

In addition, among its other diverse and essential functions are these:

• Cholesterol is the building block from which you body makes several important hormones: the adrenal hormones (aldosterone, which helps regulate blood pressure, and hydrocortisone, the body's natural steriod) and the sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone). If you don't have enough cholesterol, you won't make enough sex hormones.
• Cholesterol is the main component of bile acids, which aid in the digestion of foods, particularly fatty foods. Without cholesterol we could not absorb the essential fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K from the food we eat.
• Cholesterol is necessary for normal growth and development of the brain and nervous system . Cholesterol coats the nerves and makes the transmission of nerve impulses possible.
• Cholesterol gives skin its ability to shed water.
• Cholesterol is a precursor of vitamin D in the skin. When exposed to sunlight, this precursor molecule is converted to is active form for use in the body. ( Note: Consider the recent connection that has been made between low vitamin D levels and breast cancer)
• Cholesterol is important for normal growth and repair of tissues since every cell membrane and the organelles (the tiny structures inside the cells that carry out specific fundtions) within the cells are rich in cholesterol. For this reason newborn animals feed on milk or other cholesterol-rich foods, such as the yolks of eggs, which are there to provide food for the developing bird or chick embryos.
• Cholesterol plays a major role in the transportation of triglycerides -- blood fats -- through the circulatory system.

A quick review of this list should give you a better idea of what cholesterol does and dispel any notion that it is a destroyer of health to be feared and avoided at all costs. Far from being a serial killer, cholesterol is absolutely essential for good health; without it you would die. Without cholesterol we would lose the strength and stability of our cells, rendering them much less resistant to invasion by infection and malignancy. In fact, a grave sign of serious illness, such as cancer development or crippling arthritis, is a falling cholesterol level.

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