THE TWO FACES OF

CHOLESTEROL
BY. H A L E Y P O L LO C K
S P R I N G 2 0 1 6 C H E M I S T RY 2
M A RY- C H R I S T I A N M A D D E N

Poor Cholesterol always being deemed the bad guy. Although, the
majority of people believe cholesterol is the devil, Id like to give a more
accurate analogy six-year-old Jimmy. Jimmys the adorable, blonde-headed,
blue-eyed, and well-behaved mommas boy at a childs birthday party. Little
Jimmy can go from being the most precious innocent thing to an out-of-control
terror after eating a big piece of birthday cake. Cholesterol is no more inherently
bad than little Jimmy. Without cholesterol our bodies could not function properly
and without Jimmy, his mom would be lost. But just like Jimmy, when cholesterol
goes haywire from factors including genetic predispositions, diet, or lack of
exercise, yes cholesterol can be bad news. Although cholesterol has two faces,
the general public typically only sees the bad face. With heart disease on the
rise, obesity affecting 1 in 3 adults, and a broken food system its no wonder
cholesterol gets caught in the middle of Americas health disputes.
Cholesterol or C27H46O, is a lipid which essentially is a fat molecule that
contains hydrocarbons, are insoluble in water, and a nonpolar molecule. Lipids
include, fats, oils, vitamins, waxes, and steroid hormones, which are all essential
to structure and function in the human body. Cholesterol is a waxy substance
that is both naturally produced in the body (when theres a low dietary intake of
cholesterol) but normally acquired through an unrestricted diet, which directly
inhibits the amount of cholesterol the body naturally produces. Interestingly,
cholesterol cannot be sweated out during exercise or burned off like calories.
(Facts About Cholesterol) Certainly, exercise can help with cholesterol
management, but diet is the most effective and preventative way to maintain
healthy cholesterol levels, of below 200 mg/dL. Foods high in saturated and
trans fats, which includes most animal products like, egg yolks, meat, poultry,
and full-fat dairy, are all high in cholesterol. Fruits and vegetables on the other

hand contain zero cholesterol. High

levels of cholesterol are also
associated with commercial baked
goods since they are processed
with partially or fully-hydrogenated
fats. Prescription drugs such as
statins, bile acid sequestrants,
fibrates, PCSK9 Inhibitors, and
Ezetimibe are also commonly used
to control high cholesterol levels.

https://biochemistry3rst.wordpress.com/tag/alkyl-group/

(Cholesterol, Lipoproteins and the

Liver) WebMD considers a few dietary supplements to be somewhat beneficial
for lowering bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the body. These include:
fish oils or omega-3s, psyllium (a fiber), soy protein or phytoestrogens, garlic,
CoQ10, niacin, and red yeast rice. (Cholesterol Medicines: What to Know)
In 1769 Franois Poulletier de la Sall isolated cholesterol from gallstones
and bile. (The Discovery of Cholesterol) In 1833 a researcher named Boudet was
the first to discover cholesterol in the blood, and in 1928 two German chemists
named, Heinrich O. Wieland and Adolf O.R. Windaus won the Nobel Prize for
discovering the structural composition of cholesterol. (The Discovery of
Cholesterol) Finally, in 1964, biochemists, Konrad Emil Bloch and Feodor Lynen
won the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for discovering the synthesis of
cholesterol in the human body. (The Discovery of Cholesterol) Since then
cholesterol has been widely researched and studied especially today, since it is
a popular focus in health and medicine.

THE MOST LY BAD TWIN LDL

In the body, each cholesterol molecule must be bound to proteins called
apoproteins, thereby allowing them to be soluble in water. At this point this
cholesterol molecule is considered a lipoprotein. (Lipoproteins and Apoproteins)
In metabolism, these lipoproteins lose, acquire, and exchange various lipids and

proteins associated with the molecule, through various chemical interactions.

Foods very high in fat usually lose their fat within the first few hours of
consumption. (Lipoproteins and Apoproteins) These lipids are processed in the
intestinal epithelia cells, are thrown into the blood stream, travel through the
capillaries
where they
lose some
fat, and
then are
taken up by
the liver
where they
are
synthesized

https://www.peprotech.com/Lists/PTPublications/INC%20Lipo%20%20%20Apoprotein%20FOCUS.pdf

and put back into the blood stream as high-cholesterol containing molecules.
(Lipoproteins and Apoproteins) These high-cholesterol containing molecules are
what define LDL, low-density lipoproteins, or bad cholesterol, which make up
60-75% of total blood cholesterol. (Lipoproteins and Apoproteins) LDL molecules
are dense in fat, less dense in protein, and fairly stable molecules.
At normal levels of below 100 mg/dL, LDL molecules usually stay in the
body for a few days until they are consumed by cholesterol gobbling cells in
the body. This process is vital to the proper functioning of tissue cells to produce
certain steroid hormones and uphold cell membrane integrity. (Cholesterol,
Lipoproteins and the Liver) On the other hand, when LDL is present in the body
at excessive levels, LDL molecules stay in circulation for longer periods of time
and become susceptible to oxidation. Once oxidized, LDL is deposited as
atherosclerosis plaques in arteries, commonly known as hardening of the
arteries. This leads to numerous issues including stroke, blot clots, heart
disease, and heart attacks. This is why LDL is considered bad cholesterol.

THE GOOD TWIN HDL

Cholesterol is somewhat of a multiple

personality chemical in the sense that there
is bad cholesterol but also good
cholesterol called high-density lipoproteins or
HDL. The HDL precursor travels in the blood,
picks up excess cholesterol, and uses this to
synthesize mature HDL in the liver and small
intestine. (Cholesterol, Lipoproteins and the
Liver) HDL molecules are smaller compared to
LDL molecules and have a lower lipid count and
higher protein count. This is significant because the higher protein content lends
itself to lessened probabilities of negative modifications, such as oxidation.
(Lipoproteins and Apoproteins) The other major molecular difference between
HDL and LDL is the apoproteins found on each are slightly different. HDL is high
in the apoprotein, apoA-I which acts as a cholesterol gobbler, whereas LDL is
high in ApoB-100 which is responsible for the delivery of cholesterol to tissue
cells. (Lipoproteins and Apoproteins)
HDL does not transport cholesterol to tissue cells like LDL does, but
instead recycles excess blood cholesterol through the liver where it can be
excreted through bile or converted to bile salts. (Cholesterol, Lipoproteins and
the Liver) This process is called, reverse cholesterol transport and is mediated
through receptors. HDL helps to clean up some of the plaque LDL deposits in
arteries. So in other words, HDL tries to keep cholesterol equilibrium when its
evil twin, LDL gets out of whack! Good cholesterol can be increased through
proper diet and eating healthier fats that contain omega-3, omega-6s, and
Vitamin E. These antioxidants are commonly found in monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fatty acid sources such as nuts, olives/olive oil, fatty fish,
avocados/oil, and flaxseed/oil. Increasing dietary fiber can also be extremely
effective in lowering cholesterol and protecting heart health. In particular,
soluble fiber because it slows the absorption of nutrients, gives cholesterol
ample time to bind to bile acids, these bile acids are then excreted through the

intestines, and the liver uses excess cholesterol in the body to produce more bile
acids, thus lowering total cholesterol. (Chandler)

DISCUSSION
Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels in the body is a balancing act. When
LDL levels are elevated (above 100 mg/dL ) and HDL levels are low (below 40
mg/dL) cholesterol can become a health concern over time. According to the
CDC, 31.7% of Americans have high, LDL levels or above 160 mg/dL. (High
Cholesterol Facts) Some research suggests pre-menopausal women are at lower
risk than men to have elevated LDL levels. (Cholesterol Levels: What You Need
to Know) PeproTech a cytokine producer says, Interestingly, HDL and LDL
particle sizes are significantly larger in women than in men, which may account,
at least in part, for the longer life expectancies of women. (Lipoproteins and
Apoproteins) Common risk factors for high cholesterol depend mostly on diet
and family history. But physical activity, age, body weight, cigarette smoking,
high blood pressure and ethnicity also act as potential risk factors. (Cholesterol
Levels: What You Need to Know)
But to say cholesterol should be completely avoided or that it is
unimportant in the body would be false. Cholesterol, when controlled and
maintained at normal levels is essential for vital functions in the body. First, it
helps to stabilize cell membranes so the membrane is not completely permeable
to external or potentially dangerous molecules. (Why Do We Need Cholesterol?)
Without impermeable cell membranes anything could get into cells and
essentially poison, infect, or kill a human being. Upholding proper cell
membrane permeability also lends itself to moisturized and healthy skin. Thats
right, without a permeable cell membrane the skin is unable to maintain proper
moisture, causing dry and flaky skin. (Cholesterol on Skin) Cholesterol is also a
substrate for the synthesize of Vitamin D from UV rays in the body, so without it
the body could not naturally produce Vitamin D, a very important vitamin for
bone health, energy, overall health, and immunity. (Why Do We Need
Cholesterol?) Cholesterol is also the main building block for essential steroid

hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, and

aldosterone. (Why Do We Need Cholesterol?) These steroid hormones are
extremely important for human reproduction, water/salt regulation, blood
pressure, stress management, energy, immune health, and much more. Finally,
the body would have a hard time digested fats without cholesterol. This is
because bile acids which are made in the liver with cholesterol as a substrate,
essentially emulsify fat in the stomach and allows that fat to become permeable
to the cell membrane so enzymes can break it down to use for further functions.
(Why Do We Need Cholesterol?) An interesting article I found from, Psychology
Today written by Emily Deans, M.D., also stresses the importance of cholesterol
for proper brain function. The nervous system is made up of one quarter of the
bodys supply of cholesterol, and low levels of cholesterol has been associated
with suicide as well as violence. (Low Cholesterol and Suicide)
More specifically, cholesterol depletion is known to impair the function of
the serotonin 1A receptor, the serotonin 7 receptor, and reduces the ability of
the serotonin transporter to move serotonin in and out of the synapse. It is
interesting that low serotonin in the spinal fluid is also associated with suicide,
impulsive acts, hostility, and aggression - and low serotonin in the spinal fluid is
associated with low cholesterol. Cholesterol is also needed for the formation of
the synapse, to make myelin, the specialized insulating covering of the nerves,
and in various other neurotransmitter signaling processes associated with
anxiety, depression, and aggression. (Low Cholesterol and Suicide)

CONCLUSION
I chose to do my report on cholesterol because it directly relates to my
career in nutrition and dietetics. I am positive that many of my future clients
will suffer from high cholesterol, so knowing a lot about cholesterols effects
in the body will be important in advising a diet plan for those clients. Also,
Im a firm believer in moderation and understanding both sides of
everything, especially in relation to food, health, and nutrition. Diet can
affect so much in the body, both good and bad. Diet can lend itself to high

cholesterol and bad health or it can help lower cholesterol and heal the body;
which to me is remarkable. Although I had heard a lot about cholesterol and
how it affects health I did not know the chemistry behind it, so I was very
curious to research this topic. While Im taking Biochemistry this semester, I
found myself capable of tackling a lot of the intricate biological chemistry
behind cholesterol synthesis and regulation. I was also curious to know more
than just the bad information correlated to cholesterol. To my surprise, at
healthy levels, cholesterol plays an important role in the overall health and
functioning of the human body.
Theres still a lot we dont know about cholesterol and the way it
affects various organs and systems in the body. But the information we do
know is extremely interesting and beneficial for anyone going into the
health-care field. According to the CDC, Between 1999 and 2012, the
percentage of American adults with high total cholesterol decreased from
18.3% to 12.9%. (High Cholesterol Facts) So, on the bright side, the U.S. has
made some progress in getting unhealthy levels of cholesterol under control.
Its funny, when I told my Mom I was writing a report on cholesterol her initial
response was, Oh, cholesterol is really bad, right? Unfortunately, most
people do not give cholesterol credit where credit is due, without it there
would be no me and no you!

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