Although often portrayed as a dietary evil, cholesterol is essential to life. Suchita Sanghvi, Sr. Dietitian at Hinduja Healthcare Surgical, Khar discusses the functions of cholesterol in the body.
Hormone production
Cholesterol is used to produce steroid hormones required for normal development and functioning. These include the sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone in women and testosterone in men. These hormones trigger development of the physical traits characteristic of adult women and men; they also play a role in reproduction.
Other steroid hormones produced from cholesterol include cortisol, which is involved in regulating blood-sugar levels and defending the body against infection and aldosterone, which is important for retaining salt and water in the body.
The body can even use cholesterol to make a significant amount of vitamin D, the vitamin responsible for building strong bones and teeth, when the skin is exposed to sunlight.
Digestion
Cholesterol is also used to make bile, a greenish fluid that is produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. The body needs bile to digest foods that contain fat. Bile acts as an emulsifier, it breaks down large globules of fat into smaller particles so they can mix better with the enzymes that digest fat. Once the fat is digested, bile helps the body to absorb it. The presence of bile in the intestines is required before cholesterol can be absorbed from foods. The body also needs bile in order to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K, the fat-soluble vitamins, derived from food or supplements.
Building blocks
Cholesterol is a structural component of cells and along with polar lipids makes up the structure of every cell in our body. Cholesterol is there to basically provide a protective barrier. When the amount of cholesterol increases or decreases, the cells are affected. This change can affect our ability to metabolise and produce energy, which can ultimately affect other aspects of our bodies' function such as food intake and digestion.
In many neurons, cholesterol is essential for myelin sheath development that provides insulation for more efficient conduction of impulses.
Immune system
Cholesterol is essential for our immune system to function properly. Our immune cells rely on cholesterol to fight infections and repair themselves after the fight. In addition, LDL-cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol), the so-called "bad" cholesterol, directly binds and inactivates dangerous bacterial toxins, preventing them from doing any damage in the body. People with low blood cholesterol are prone to various infections, suffer from them longer and are more likely to die from an infection.
Cholesterol is the chief healing agent in the body. When the body has some healing jobs to do, it produces cholesterol and sends it to the site of the damage. When we have an infection, LDL-cholesterol goes up to deal with the bacterial or viral attack.
Antioxidant
Cholesterol acts as an antioxidant in the body and helps heal the damage caused by free radicals. Wounds in the body contain plenty of free radicals because the immune cells use these highly reactive molecules to destroy microbes and toxins. But, the excess free radicals have to be neutralised, and cholesterol accomplishes this function.
Cholesterol also comes into play during the healing process after a surgery. During a surgery, the tissues are cut and many small arteries, veins and capillaries get damaged. As this time, the liver starts churning cholesterol and floods the body with LDL-cholesterol to clean and heal the wounds in our blood vessels and tissues.
Times of India
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