Cholesterol

Cholesterol is "bad" and "good"

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is produced mainly in the liver, and also comes from our food inside the body, it is necessary for the formation of cell membranes and hormones.

Cholesterol cannot dissolve in the blood, so it moves in the bloodstream using proteins. As a result of the attachment of cholesterol to the carrier protein, two types of complexes are formed, conditionally - bad and good. Bad cholesterol delivers cholesterol to body cells. The cells absorb the necessary amount of cholesterol, and the excess remains in the blood with all the ensuing consequences.

Cholesterol on the walls of the vessel

Good cholesterol removes excess cholesterol from tissues and delivers them to the liver, where they are neutralized, this type of cholesterol helps people keep the heart healthy.

Excess saturated fat raises' bad'cholesterol levels

Eating large amounts of saturated fat increases blood levels of "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, LDL). Cholesterol is deposited on the walls of vessels, narrows their lumen, reduces elasticity and causes inflammation.

Back in the 20th century, numerous studies and clinical experience showed that high pressure is directly related to the consumption of large amounts of animal food rich in fats.

Comparison table of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids

Nevertheless, the body needs saturated fats, you should not give up them, you just need to make sure that you do not consume more than 25-30 grams per day (for a guide: a teaspoon contains 5 grams of butter).

Atherosclerosis

Main article: Atherosclerosis

Artery affected by atherosclerosis in the section. The reason is a violation of lipid metabolism.

Technologies

2021: Announcement of a machine that reads blood cholesterol through the skin

At the end of November 2021, for people with coronary disease hearts , an apparatus was presented that reads the cholesterol level blood in through the visualization of the skin of the patient's hand. The new system was developed by specialists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences China and the University of Science and Technology of China. According to the developers, funds for the commercial implementation of the project have already been found, and the product is preparing to enter the market. More. here

Chronicle

2025: Gene therapy started to be used to reduce blood cholesterol

On November 10, 2025, the results of the first clinical trial of gene therapy for the treatment of elevated cholesterol were presented. Scientific work was carried out at the Monash University in Australia. Read more here.

2024: Ministry of Health: Every fifth Russian has elevated cholesterol

Doctors revealed hypercholesterolemia in every fifth who underwent a preventive medical examination and medical examination in 2024 in Russia, about 11 million people are at risk. This was announced in September 2025 by the Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Mikhail Murashko. According to him, high-quality dispensary observation of such patients, including the correction of modifiable risk factors, control of lipoprotein levels is the most important tool for reducing morbidity and mortality, especially among people of working age.^[1]

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