Why Cholesterol is Essential for Health

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We are well aware of the warning that ‘Cholesterol is BAD for us’.  Our body synthesizes about 80 percent of this much maligned fat from simpler molecules in a complex 37 step process. Cholesterol itself is but an intermediate substance needed by our body to synthesize critical substances needed for our well-being and survival. Experiments with mutant cell lines and specific inhibitors of cholesterol biosynthesis suggested that is essential for the growth of mammalian cells. With little or no cholesterol, the fetus will be aborted or has serious defects.

What could happen if our body could not use cholesterol? 

SLOS or 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase deficiency is an inborn error of cholesterol synthesis. Children born with this genetic disorder have problems ranging from intellectual disability and behavioral problems to life-threatening malformations. The condition includes defects in the brain, face, limbs, kidneys, liver, heart and genital area in varying degree of severity.

People with Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis lack an enzyme to convert cholesterol into bile acids normally. The function of bile acids is to emulsify lipids (fat) and fat-soluble vitamins to enable our body to absorb and use them. Children with this disorder experience diarrhea, cataracts and tendon xanthomas, which are soft bumps under the skin made up of yellow fatty deposits. These fatty deposits accumulate in the blood, nerve cells and the brain.

As they grow older, these children  may lose mental capability and begin to show signs of abnormal movements, cholesterol deposit in the brain, Degeneration of parts of the brain , Psychiatric symptoms, Seizure and  Premature atherosclerosis (hardening of blood vessel).

Cystic fibrosis or cholestatic liver disease is a disorder where sufferers have an impaired capacity to absorb dietary fat and therefore fat-soluble vitamins as well. They experienced injury to the sensory nerves (peripheral neuropathy), impaired balance and coordination (ataxia), muscle weakness (myopathy), and damage to the retina of the eye (pigmented retinopathy).

The medical profession recognizes eight different inherited disorders of cholesterol biosynthesis that lead to congenital abnormalities. These diseases showed a decrease in the concentration of cholesterol in the body can result in severe health problems. The next article will focus on the numerous vital roles cholesterol plays that ensure our well-being.