Cholesterol--a substance made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen molecules--is required in the body for hormone and cell membrane production. Cholesterol is found in plants and animals in the fatty tissues, and it is made by humans in the liver.
Identification
Cholesterol is a specific type of sterol that contains 27 carbon atoms, 46 hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom in a ring structure called a hydrocarbon. This pattern contributes to the fatty nature of cholesterol.
Hydrocarbon Details
The structure of the carbons, hydrogens and oxygen is arranged in 6-carbon rings that have hydrogen atoms extending out from the rings, except for a single extension of oxygen instead. These hydrocarbon rings can bind with other hydrocarbon molecules at the hydrogen extensions.
Types
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol types are two versions of the same basic cholesterol ring structure. LDL cholesterol is associated with the "bad" cholesterol obtained from fatty foods in the diet and sent into the bloodstream, whereas HDL cholesterol is more often associated with the "good" cholesterol made in the body for use in cells.
Saturated or Unsaturated
Similar to the two types of cholesterol, the amount of hydrogen atoms available on the carbon rings in cholesterol form the basis for saturated and unsaturated cholesterol (i.e. fat). Saturated fat contains carbon rings with all the hydrogen atoms extending from the ring; unsaturated fat contains fewer hydrogen atoms on the carbons and is considered more healthy in the diet.
Considerations
The body requires the fatty substance of cholesterol to run efficiently, but excess cholesterol is not removed from the body and remains in the bloodstream to cause plaque buildup and eventual heart disease.
