What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol). Cholesterol is a lipid found in the cell membranes of all tissues, and it is transported in the blood plasma of all animals. Because cholesterol is synthesized by all eukaryotes, trace amounts of cholesterol are also found in membranes of plants and fungi.The name originates from the Greek chole- (bile) and stereos (solid), and the chemical suffix -ol for an alcohol, as researchers first identified cholesterol in solid form in gallstones by Francois Poulletier de la Salle in 1769. However, it is only in 1815 that chemist Eugene Chevreul named the compound "cholesterine".[2]Most of the cholesterol is synthesized by the body and some has dietary origin. Cholesterol is more abundant in tissues which either synthesize more or have more abundant densely-packed membranes, for example, the liver, spinal cord and brain. It plays a central role in many biochemical processes, such as the composition of cell membranes and the synthesis of steroid hormones. Cholesterol is insoluble in blood, but is transported in the circulatory system bound to one of the varieties of lipoprotein, spherical particles which have an exterior composed mainly of water-soluble proteins. The main types, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) carry cholesterol from and to the liver.According to the lipid hypothesis, abnormally high cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia) and abnormal proportions of LDL and HDL are associated with cardiovascular disease by promoting atheroma development in arteries (atherosclerosis). This disease process leads to myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke and peripheral vascular disease. As high LDL contributes to this process, it is termed "bad cholesterol", while high levels of HDL ("good cholesterol") offer a degree of protection. The balance can be redressed with exercise, a healthy diet, and sometimes medication.

blood pressure reading systolic
What Is High Blood Pressure?
High blood pressure is a blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmhg or higher. This is called systolic (sis-TOL-ik) pressure. When the heart is at rest,

What Are High Blood Pressure and Prehypertension?
Systolic pressure is the force of blood in the arteries as the heart beats. It is shown as the top number in a blood pressure reading. High blood pressure

High Blood Pressure - Systolic High Blood Pressure - Hypertension
Questions and answers about systolic high blood pressure.

Measuring Blood Pressure, what the numbers mean.
High blood pressure can be a systolic reading of 140 or above, a diastolic reading of 90 or above, or both. For example, a reading of 150/85 mmHg is high

What is blood pressure?
Learn what is considered a normal blood pressure reading. Blood pressure is always given as these two numbers, the systolic and diastolic pressures.

Hypertension - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
These typically only surface with a systolic blood pressure over 240 mmHg and/or a the many factors that influence blood pressure reading 14.

Blood pressure - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
When blood flow is nil (cuff pressure exceeding systolic pressure) or unimpeded . For blood pressure readings taken with a home monitoring device to be

Treating Systolic High Blood Pressure In Older Persons Is Beneficial
Systolic -- Not Diastolic -- Blood-Pressure Reading Should Define Hypertension, New NIH Clinical Advisory States (May 8, 2000) â” Systolic blood pressure,

Systolic -- Not Diastolic -- Blood-Pressure Reading Should Define
Systolic blood pressure, the first -- or higher -- number in a blood-pressure reading, is the important factor in determining whether a person has

Blood pressure
The first number is the systolic blood pressure reading, and it represents the maximum pressure exerted when the heart contracts.

MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Blood pressure
The top number is the systolic blood pressure reading. It represents the maximum pressure exerted when the heart contracts.


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