The cholesterol is a kind of natural lipid exerts multiple functions at the body, such macronutrient is obtained in larger quantities by hepatic synthesis can however be acquired exogenously, i.e., can be consumed by certain foods.
Cholesterol in the body plays important roles, such as: participating in the formation or synthesis of bile juices, which are important for the digestion of ingested fats as they facilitate their absorption; Cholesterol can undergo biotransformation when affected by UV rays, converting into vitamin D, being vital for the protection of the cutaneous tissue (skin) from corrosive chemical agents and avoiding its dehydration, this mentioned metabolite also serves as the basis for the formation of sex hormones, for this reason women who are anorexic, bulimic, or who consume strict diets low in cholesterol tend to suffer problems in the menstrual cycle.
There are different types of cholesterol, those of clinical importance when doing a checkup on a patient, two types of them should be evaluated which are: HDL this is popularly known as the "good" cholesterol, it fulfills a process of redirection of the cholesterol, that is, it takes this lipid found in the blood that does not serve any use and transports it to the liver so that it can be again synthesized in the liver; LDL known as "bad" cholesterol, it fulfills a totally different cycle, carries cholesterol from the liver and stores it in the tissues specifically in adipose tissue.
By having high cholesterol levels in the bloodstream, the patient may be predisposed to have cardiac-type pathologies, such as acute myocardial infarction, which results in the plugging of a coronary artery, decreasing the oxygenation of the heart tissue, or atherosclerosis, which It is identified as a layer of cholesterol that is attached to the walls of the blood vessels, decreasing the flow of blood, leading to complete obstruction of the vessel. If this type of patient has control of their cholesterol levels in the bloodstream, maintaining it in the values that are considered regular, they have the possibilitythat the lipids attached to the blood vessels are released back into the blood so that they can be taken to the liver, and thus finally be eliminated in the form of bile when the digestion process occurs.
