Oddbean new post about | logout
 Most dietary cholesterol is excreted.

Most of the cholesterol in your body is made by your own cells.  For the cells that can’t produce enough for their needs (neurons for instance), the liver produces excess cholesterol, then the lipoproteins transport the cholesterol to the cells that need more (lipoproteins are required because cholesterol is not soluble in water.)

Cholesterol is a base molecule for many important biochemicals, especially hormones.  Having low cholesterol means your body cannot produce adequate levels of hormones like testosterone (which is why a side effect of statins is low libido, decreased muscle mass, low energy, etc.)