January 16, 2004
NUTRITION NEWS FOCUS
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Today's Topic: 100 Years of Cholesterol

The Journal of the American Medical Association has a regular feature
highlighting an article published in it 100 years ago.  In the
December 17, 2003 issue, an article about cholesterol was reprinted.
At the time, it was believed that cholesterol was unlikely to play a
part in any metabolic processes in the body.

The only medically important condition described in the 100-year-old
article was gallstones, many of which are primarily cholesterol.
Coronary heart disease and stroke were rare conditions at that time.
Yet the diet generally contained more meat, saturated fat, and
cholesterol.  Makes you wonder what else has contributed to the
epidemic of heart disease.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Cholesterol's primary function
in the body is structural, forming membranes of every cell.
Cholesterol serves as the precursor to a variety of hormones and
vitamin D.  It gets converted to bile acids in the liver which are
used to digest fat.  You can't live without cholesterol.