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.

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Archives News Releases - December 10, 2007
Numerous studies have shown that most people treated with antihypertensive drugs (drugs that lower blood pressure) still have higher-than-optimal blood

Calcium channel blockers for high blood pressure
CALCIUM IN CORONARY ARTERIES MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK FOR HEART Hypertension (high blood pressure) was associated with an increased risk of

BMJ BestTreatments :: Conditions :: High blood pressure :: Calcium
Drug details for Calcium channel blockers for high blood pressure.

Blaming dietary sodium for high blood pressure is too simplistic
Calcium Channel Blockers: Summary of affordable alternatives CCBs are effective medicines that lower blood pressure and help prevent and treat the

Consumer Reports Health - Calcium Blockers
The calcium antagonists can decrease the heart's pumping strength and relax blood vessels. In most cases these drugs lower blood pressure.

High Blood Pressure -- What Can Be Done
The calcium antagonists can reduce the heart rate and relax blood vessels. Treating high blood pressure may require lots of time, patience and care by both

Taking Medication for High Blood Pressure
Findings that calcium stone-forming patients with lower calcium intakes are more The relationship between calcium intake and blood pressure has been

Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University
Blood pressure medicines work in different ways to lower blood pressure. Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) keep calcium from entering the muscle cells of

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (HYPERTENSION)
High Blood Pressure Diet dash diet Notes on minerals: Potassium, as well as calcium, plays an important role in regulating high blood pressure.

High Blood Pressure Diet - the DASH diet - written by Dietitians
CCBs keep calcium from entering the muscle cells of the heart and blood vessels. This causes the blood vessels to relax and pressure goes down.

Types of Blood Pressure Medications: Guide to Lowering HBP
Some studies have shown that people whose intakes of calcium are low are more likely to have high blood pressure, but a link has not been proven.

Lessening the Pressure: Array of Drugs Tames Hypertension
If you have high blood pressure (also called hypertension), taking a drug called a calcium channel blocker each day can lower your blood pressure and help

Ask the Dietitian - by Joanne Larsen MS RD LD - Salt & Sodium
Like sodium and potassium, calcium and magnesium are bodily partners in the . If these measures do not lower your blood pressure enough and you need

High Blood Pressure: Things You Can Do to Help Lower Yours
Eat calcium and magnesium rich foods to help reduce blood pressure. It had lower than average levels of potassium, magnesium, and calcium.

Go Ask Alice!: Managing high blood pressure through diet
If the glands secrete too much parathyroid hormone, the amount of calcium in your blood rises â” which triggers a rise in blood pressure.

Secondary high blood pressure: When another condition causes
Maintaining a reasonable weight is an important factor in controlling blood pressure. A new area of interest is the relationship between calcium and high

Diet and Hypertension
Salt has been blamed in the past as causing high blood pressure. New research though is suggesting that too little calcium or potassium as having some

High Blood Pressure - Things you can do to help lower yours
A normal blood pressure is 120/80 or lower. High blood pressure is 140/90 or Calcium channel blockers: These drugs help prevent your blood vessels from


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