Exploring the Unseen: Understanding Cholesterol and Its Importance in Human Health

Cholesterol is a type of sterol, an organic compound with the formula C17H28O. This compound is found in animals and is classified as a zoosterol. In fungi, a mycosterol called ergosterol performs a role similar to cholesterol.

One class of drugs that can lower cholesterol levels in the blood and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease are known as statins. These drugs work by blocking a pathway that is responsible for the first 18 steps of the 37-step process that the human body uses to make cholesterol.

Under ultraviolet light, cholesterol goes through a series of steps to become calcitriol, an active form of vitamin D made in the kidneys. The human body has a mechanism to recycle cholesterol, which begins with its excretion from the liver and ends with its reabsorption into the bloodstream in the small intestine.

Cholesterol in the brain is produced and transported by cells called astrocytes because it cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. American biochemist Joseph Goldstein played a crucial role in discovering how cholesterol contributes to heart disease. He was awarded