|
|
Article: Cholesterol
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Aging
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
CHOLESTEROL
Cholesterol, cholesterol esters, and triglycerides are fats, or lipids. On their own these would
not be soluble enough to circulate, so to circulate in blood, these lipids are combined with phospholipids and protein in particles called lipoproteins. Generally, only three lipoproteins
—
very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL), and high density lipoproteins (HDL)
—
are found in the serum of fasting persons.
Cholesterol is absorbed from the intestine and transported to the liver where it is taken up by the LDL receptors. Cholesterol from the liver enters the circulation as VLDL and is metabolized to remnant lipoproteins after an enzyme ...