Video - Cholesterol metabolism

Cholesterol is a lipid molecule that helps to synthesize hormones, cell membrane integrity, and other important compounds. Cholesterol is synthesized in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum of cells throughout the body, but mainly in the liver. This reaction's rate-limiting step is the reduction of HMG CoA to mevalonate, which is done by HMG-CoA reductase.

Some of the cholesterol in the blood is derived from food. Dietary cholesterol is found in animal products, such as meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. In the bloodstream, cholesterol is transported and attached to proteins called lipoproteins, which carry it to the cells that need it.