The Clinical Significance of Cholesterol
Cholesterol has proven to be an essential substance that performs various physiological functions. Whatever cholesterol the body requires is produced by the liver.

In fact it is perfectly healthy for a human being to have normal cholesterol levels. Normal cholesterol level helps in the making of hormones and in the construction of cell membranes. It also helps in the production of vitamin D in the body. It is a high blood cholesterol levels that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Excessive and indiscriminate consumption of foods rich in cholesterol such as meat, eggs and dairy products increase the blood cholesterol levels.  Such foods are rich in saturated fats and increase in the level of cholesterol in blood.

If you are trying to lower cholesterol, then you should eat a balanced diet and consume foods such as vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts, chicken and fatty fish. These foods contain little saturated fat and contain either fiber or essential fatty acids, both of which help in the reduction of blood cholesterol levels.

Not all cholesterol is bad. It is LDL based cholesterol that is deposited on the inner walls of arteries in the form of a plaque. HLD cholesterol or good cholesterol helps to remove LDL cholesterol from the blood stream.
 
Cholesterol plays a potentially significant role in the early diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis. Cholesterol plays an important role in the other cases as well. For example, it has been suggested that urinary cholesterol plays a significant role in the diagnosis of urogenital carcinomas especially of the prostate, bladder and kidney.
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