1. Recent research shows that cholesterol acts as an antioxidant.
2. The name cholesterol originates from the Greek chole- (bile) and stereos (solid), and the chemical suffix - ol for an alcohol.
3. More women over age 45 have high cholesterol than men.
4. Doctors estimate that there are 15 million to 25 million Americans that appear to have healthy total cholesterol scores, but are in fact at risk of cardiovascular disease simply because their HDL is too low.
5. The liver is the place where this cholesterol is manufactured and circulated into the blood stream flowing across the body.
6. Cholesterol is needed but not in excess. If the level of cholesterol increases too much there is a risk of stroke and heart attack.
7. Cholesterol is found only in animal products, including meat, chicken, fish, eggs, organ meats and high-fat dairy products.
8. Cholesterol is recycled. It 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 bloodstream
9. To help reduce your cholesterol level, you need to cut down on saturated fats and trans fats and replace them with monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats.
10. One egg contains 213 mg of cholesterol, all of which is contained in the yolk.
11. For a person of about 68 kg (150 pounds), typical total body cholesterol synthesis is about 1 g (1,000 mg) per day, and total body content is about 35 g.
