People need to know that cholesterol is the waxy substance that is part of all the cell membranes of our body. Thanks to its presence, you will benefit from unique properties and essential for the proper functioning of all, such as a certain degree of flexibility and structural firmness, avoiding with them are altered or broken. But cell membranes are not just simple protective envelopes, they are dynamic and extremely intelligent structures that participate in cell signaling and the transport of substances in and out of cells.
Experts in the field say that its importance lies in the fact that it is an essential part of vitamin D and many other hormones in the body, including for example estrogen and testosterone.
All foods of animal origin (meat, seafood, poultry, dairy products and eggs) contain cholesterol, because as we have seen, all animal cells need it, it is essential for life.
Why do you think the brain needs cholesterol? Although the brain accounts for only 2% of total body weight, it contains 20% of the body’s cholesterol:
- Synapses, the magical areas where communication between neurons or brain cells takes place, are covered by cholesterol-rich membranes and due to their proper functioning, neurotransmitters such as serotonin, GABA or dopamine are properly transmitted. part by part.
- Myelin, the white matter that isolates brain circuits and is the key to rapid and efficient nerve transmission, is made up of tightly wrapped membranes that contain 75% of the brain’s cholesterol. The role of cholesterol is to actually function as a transmitter of external signals, necessary for the activation of genes, and its presence, for example in the brain, tends to be lost with age, so that both healthy and healthy elderly people with Alzheimer’s tend to have lower cholesterol levels than normal.