Cholesterols are hydroaromatic hydrocarbons. They are produced by the human organism itself as well as ingested by eating animal products. They have various functions: They serve to produce steroid hormones like estrogen, gestagen, and androgens, or gall in the liver, or to develop new tissue. As fat isn`t soluble in blood, cholesterol has to be sorruounded by an envelope composed of lipoproteins , which is illustrated in the picture.
The LDL cholesterol is the harmful form. It transports fats into the body and the cells. A high concentration of LDL cholesterol in the blood is dangerous because the cholesterol can deposit in the vascular walls and cause arteriosclerosis. Combined with other vessel damaging factors, such as smoking or high blood pressure, this can cause a heart attack, stroke, or peripheral arterial occlusive disease of the legs (PAOD).
All these diseases are ultimately caused by deposits in vessels that can hinder or even completely stop the blood flow. HDL is the antagonist of LDL.
